


It's A Date! And a Date, and a Date...

by tfamonk



Category: Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Genderbending, M/M, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-14
Updated: 2017-03-12
Packaged: 2018-02-17 07:50:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 9
Words: 30,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2302121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tfamonk/pseuds/tfamonk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Hyperforce grows closer than when Chiro proposes an unorthodox solution for the romantic tension that plagues them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. It's Not A Competition

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so this takes place in a weird AU where A) Nova is a male called Apollo (blame my friend, HUGE slash fan who thinks girl parts are icky) and B) Mandarin never went full evil, just barely pulled back from the edge.
> 
> Also, although they said not too, I feel I should give credit to my friend, because this is just a cleaned up RP we have been doing. (They don't have an account on this site, so no co-author)

“I don’t see what the confusion is, Mr. Hal Gibson.” Mandarin snapped, deliberately using his full name to annoy him. “I need the lab for a project I am working on, and all you have to do is get out of my way and let me do it. Is that so difficult to comprehend?” His accent got more pronounced when he was annoyed, which just helped to emphasize his insulting tone. “I know you’re not familiar with the not-laboratory world, but it is this big big place without a wall or a ceiling. You’ll have fun! Just go!”

Gibson glared at the orange monkey, used to such abuse from Sprx, but finding it far more irritating when given to him by Mandarin, he being far more abrasive in tone. “And I don’t see why I can’t stay to see what you’re doing, you know what happened the last last time I left one of you alone in here.” Ugh, the stench had remained for weeks afterwards, he wasn’t about to make that mistake again.

“That was a complete accident, and it couldn’t have been prevented by you hovering over my shoulder!” Mandarin snapped at him, rising up to his full height in an attempt to intimidate Gibson into going away. In was a fruitless effort, mainly because they were the exact same height, and Mandarin no longer had the authority to make Gibson do anything. “You know I hate it when people crowd me! Nothing will happen to your precious lab.”

Gibson crossed his arms, not exactly appeased. “Then tell me what you’re planning on doing, and don’t lie to me.” He had made some vague mentions earlier, but when he tried to get Mandarin to be more exact, the monkey avoided his questions. If it was simple enough, he would allow Mandarin to use his lab this once, if not, he would stay, it was that simple.

Mandarin was sorely tempted to fight Gibson, but it was that exact kind of over-reaction that had gotten him deposed as leader of the team in the first place. And he did regret his outbursts, after the fact, so he forced himself to fold his arms instead of unleashing his sword and shield. “...I am making a gift.” He admitted with a grumble. “Happy?”

“Really?” Gibson was surprised. Mandarin making a gift for someone? “Who is it for?” He was honestly very curious, Mandarin never did anything like that, for anyone. Heck, the monkey barely ever apologized for being rude, much less giving gifts to others. Perhaps something had occurred between him and one of the others, something more severe than usual, and he needed to somehow make amends?

The orange monkey puffed out his chest and looked smug. “I think you can probably guess, Gibson.” Mandarin’s ruby eyes glinted as he leaned towards the blue monkey. “Who else? My boyfriend!”

Gibson sputtered, “A w-what? You have a boyfriend Mandarin?” He was surprised, “Who? I mean, it’s probably someone on the team, you hate humans, which means any citizens of Shuggazoom are out of the question.” He pondered to himself who it could possibly be, “Did you and Apollo finally make up then?”

“Apollo?” Mandarin looked taken aback. As far as he knew, Apollo hated him after he’d gone too far on the fierce monkey’s training. “No! Not Apollo. And I don’t hate all humans…” He smiled coyly at Gibson, expecting him to take the hint. After all, it wasn’t as though they had been very subtle.

“...what.” That was all Gibson had to say for several seconds. “That’s not possible.” Was what he followed it up with. “You and Chiro can’t be dating. That’s… impossible.”

Mandarin tilted his head up proudly. “And why not? Clearly, Chiro is the only one here who appreciates me for what I am.”

Gibson smirked, “Alright, besides the fact that appreciating you for what you are is impossible, because what you are is a horrible person; if Chiro’s dating anyone, it’s me. We just went out yesterday.”

“...Excuse me…?” Mandarin’s red eyes began to glow at that, and he was having trouble keeping his arms folded. “Chiro has escorted me out on the town more times than he has dragged you out of your lab!”

Gibson snorted, “Perhaps, but Chiro appreciates that I’m busy, and I’ve made my intentions clear enough towards him. Or can you claim something stronger? Because I doubt you can.”

“I think our ‘sparring sessions’ put me in the lead!” Mandarin spat at him, annoyed that this was even an argument, no longer completely certain he was correct about his relationship with Chiro. “He seeks me out more often than he seeks you!” Which was just feeding back into Gibson’s own argument that Chiro simply respected his need for space, but Mandarin had been thrown off of his rhythm.

Gibson wasn’t exactly feeling comfortable either, realizing that he may not have made his intentions with Chiro 100% clear. Still, he was certain that he wasn’t dating Mandarin, but he should really solidify the relationship. “If that’s how you feel, perhaps we should go visit Chiro right now.”

“Absolutely!” Mandarin snapped, his tail lashing angrily behind him. “I’m certain he will let you down easily!” He whirled around and began to march away, determined to find Chiro and put an end to this nonsense.

Gibson was right behind him, more than happy to see the truth revealed and for Mandarin to quit it with his delusions. If he had been aware of his feelings, he would have made a far more bolder approach towards their leader.

It was as they approached the main room on their way, that they ran into Antauri, who was making his way down the hall. “Ah, hello you… is something wrong?” He noticed the looks the two had on their faces.

“Nothing is wrong that will not be corrected momentarily!” Mandarin answered. “Have you seen Chiro?”

“Um, he was in his room last time I checked, why? Is it perhaps something I can assist in?” He knew that Mandarin often got into feuds with the others, but they were normally with either Apollo or Sprx.

“That depends,” said Gibson, somewhat flippantly, “has Chiro been talking to you about who he’s been dating?”

Antauri fell silent, “...pardon?”

“Who he has been dating! Who he is wooing! This fool says that it is he, but I know better!” Mandarin was almost hopping in place from fury, pointing accusingly at Gibson.

Antauri was silent for several more seconds before speaking up again, “...is this a joke?”

Gibson sighed, “I had a bad feeling that this might happen. Look, Antauri, I know you’re very close to Chiro and that you’d probably be against any of us being in a relationship with him, but-”

“That is not the problem Gibson.” He shook his head, “Well, it is, but not in the way you think. I, am the one here who is quote, unquote, dating, Chiro.”

“...” Mandarin stared at him, wondering if fighting both of them at the same time would be as bad as just hurting Gibson. He considered his rational options, then tossed them out the window and sneered. “And here I feared the blue recluse was deluding himself, but it seems that Chiro was being lead astray by a trusted authority figure! Shame on you, Antauri. Abusing his trust and naivety like that!”

Antauri gave Mandarin an inquisitive look, “So you dating him would be fine, but if it is me, suddenly Chiro’s trust and naivety are being abused? Your argument does not hold water Mandarin; but that is besides the point, I am the one who holds Chiro’s affections.”

Irritated, Mandarin turned to Gibson. “Has he not been behaving as a surrogate father figure? Was I just imagining all those times he mentored him and tucked him into bed?” Which was entirely beside the point, of course, but Mandarin was loathe to lose an argument against Antauri.

Gibson glanced between the two, irritated, “Although I think you’re exaggerating, I can’t help but somewhat agree with you.”

Antauri shook his head, “Chiro is a mature young man, and I assure you we have been taking it very slow, I have done nothing to make him uncomfortable.”

“Excuses!” Mandarin snapped. “And delusions, because I am the only one he views in that light. And the sooner we reach his room and ask him, the sooner you both can accept it!”

Antauri rolled his eyes as the two made their way off, Gibson following after a storming Mandarin. He decided he should follow, lest Mandarin take Chiro’s rejection poorly. As they passed through the lounge, about to take the elevator up, Apollo and Sprx, who were spending their time there, saw them.

“Look, I’m not saying that it’s a bad idea, just-” Sprx paused in his conversation with Apollo and glanced over at the three other Monkeys. “Don’t look now, but it looks like Mandarin is on a rampage.”

Apollo frowned. “Looks like a parade to me. Hey, guys! What’s going on?” The two Monkeys hopped off of the bars they had been hanging from to approach the other three.

Mandarin scowled at them, refusing to answer and continued forward. They both turned to Antauri, confused.

The silver monkey sighed, “Mandarin and Gibson are both convinced that Chiro is in a relationship with them, respectively.”

Gibson frowned, “Although Antauri is saying that such a claim is ridiculous.”

Apollo frowned, while Sprx chuckled uncomfortably. “What? No no no… look, the kid is kind of shy about things, but he’s definitely going out with me. Heh, sorry to break it to you all.” Sprx straddled the line between sheepish and smug as he spread his arms.

“Oh no. No no no no…” Apollo put his hands on his hips and glared at the rest of his team. “Look, I have no idea where you all got the idea that Chiro was dating any one of you, but he and I are going out! I- Hey!” Everyone had already begun to hurry and rush after Mandarin, who hadn’t paused in his angry stride to Chiro’s room, and at some point it became a race to keep up with him, ending with the entire Monkey Team minus Otto crashing in a heap in front of Chiro’s door. Weakly, Mandarin raised his arm from the pile and knocked.


	2. Except When it Is

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team realizes they might have all been complete idiots.

The door opened, Otto looking down at the team unexpectedly, “Oh, hey guys. What are you doing here?” He happily asked.

Chiro was right behind him, slightly more perplexed than Otto. “Are you guys ok?”

“Chiro!” Powered by anger, Mandarin emerged from the bottom of the pile and furiously pointed to everyone, ending at the nonplussed Otto. “Explain to them that you are not just giving me false hope! ...I mean, that we are dating!”

“...what?” Chiro’s look of confusion matched that of someone who had just found something unidentifiable in a refrigerator, not sure whether what they had just encountered was benign or not.

“What?!” Otto’s question was less confused, and more akin to finding out that one’s favorite show had been cancelled. He immediately began to sulk, “Aw, man, there goes my plan.”

“Kid! Hey, sorry about this.” Sprx tried to regain his dignity by standing up and looking nonchalant as he leaned against Mandarin. “Just explain to these guys that you and me have been going out, and I’ll make sure they scram, okay? Don’t worry, I’ll smooth everything over.” Mandarin, whose eyes had been glowing brighter and brighter as Sprx spoke, took one deliberate step to the side to cause Sprx to lose his support and flail wildly before falling to the ground.

Chiro continued to be confused, but slowly began to realize what was occurring, although still not sure if it was real or in fact a dream he was having, “Wait, what?!”

Gibson shook his head in disapproval at Sprx, smirking as he fell to the ground in a less than elegant pile, “I apologize for the confusion Chiro, but it seems some debate has arisen about the status of our relationship. If you would be so kind as to ‘clear the air’, so to speak, and tell them that ours is the real relationship, I would greatly appreciate it.”

Sprx attempted to get up, only for Apollo to step over him and stand on his helmet to get at eye level with Chiro. “Chiro? I need you to think back. Remember all those times when you and I hung out? All the hugging and cuddling? Yeah, I need you to tell these guys that it all happened, and then we can put this behind us. Sorry they’re being jerks about it.”

“We are not being jerks!” Mandarin snapped, his voice getting higher with anxiety. Chiro looked more baffled than he had expected, and he was not immediately proclaiming Mandarin to be his one and only, which was worrying.

Antauri sighed, the poor boy was obviously not used to this type of attention, and the team’s behavior wasn’t exactly helping any matters, “I do apologize Chiro, I suppose I should have tried to prevent them from coming here, this is obviously very stressful for you; not that I do not understand, mind you. But, as Gibson said, if you could just clarify your relationship with me, I will be able to handle matters from there.”

Chiro looked just about ready to flee, “I… I don’t know what any of you are talking about! The only person I’ve ever dated was Jinmay, and we broke up months ago! Are you all confusing me for someone?!” He really had no idea what else to say to all this insanity.

By this point, Sprx had freed himself from underneath Apollo, and had been in the process of starting to fuss at the yellow monkey when Chiro’s outburst interrupted him. “...What? Kid, settle down. You must be confused. You and me have been together for about a month now. Remember?” He smiled encouragingly at him. “When you told me that you liked me?”

The others clearly wanted to escalate this argument, but none of them wanted to upset Chiro any further, so they were stuck in a limbo between trying to coax him to agree with them and reassure him that there was nothing to fear.

“Yes, as a friend! You thought I meant…!” Chiro trailed off as all the pieces seemed to slide into place. Looking back, he supposed it was kind of obvious, but it’s amazing what the human brain is capable of ignoring. “Oh Shuggazoom, I-I thought you guys were just being friendly, honest!”

Silence followed that statement as the monkey team tried to come to terms with this new information. They glanced at one another uncertainly, not certain how to process it. Just friendly?

“...What.” Mandarin’s tone was flat with disbelief. “Do you seriously think that I would have trusted any of them the way I trusted you?” He jerked his thumb behind him at the rest of the team with contempt. “No! That was not… I was not being friendly!” He stomped his foot, aware that he was being absurd, but trying to focus on anything but the hurt he was feeling.

Antauri was able to hid his disappointment the best, and turned his attention to Mandarin, trying to contain the situation. “Mandarin, please calm down, we… all appeared to have made a large assumption that was untrue. But that does not mean Chiro dislikes you.” He tried his best to comfort his teammate, but the orange monkey was having none of it.

Meanwhile, Otto looked at the others, mildly amused, but also worried about Chiro, “Wait, so you guys all already thought you were dating Chiro? Wow, good thing I didn’t get a chance to actually ask him; that could have been really bad, huh?”

There was a brief pause and a very telling silence before all of the monkeys began speaking at once. “So, Chiro how about you and me go-” “Chiro! I know this great seafood place-” “Chiro would you please accompany me t-” Mandarin firmly pushed Antauri aside and approached Chiro with confidence.

“Chiro… I have made my feelings on this matter clear.” He paused, taking a breath before speaking again, clearly distraught. “But it seems you were not prepared for this. So we will give you space to think on things.” Mandarin firmly grabbed hold of Otto and dragged him out of the room, and began to push the protesting other monkeys away from their leader’s room.

Chiro stood there in silence for a few moments, before closing his door, and silently making his way over to his bed. He sat down on his sheets, laid down and proceeded to scream into his pillow, it absorbing all the stress he was feeling.

Gibson was the first to disentangle himself from the group, managing to jab Sprx in the head with his elbow as he did so. “Alright Mandarin, that’s enough, there’s no need to keep pushing, I think we all got the idea!” He huffed as he brushed himself off.

Mandarin give him a petulant shove for that, but he didn’t put much effort into it. Instead he folded his arms and stormed away, standing apart from the rest of the group and glaring at the wall, his tail lashing wildly behind him.

Otto smiled sadly at Mandarin, not wanting to incur his wrath, but also wanting to give him some comfort. “Uh… I’m sure Chiro will think really carefully about this. And uh…” He didn’t know what else to say, even an optimist like himself saw this only ending badly. Either Chiro chose one of them and they all loathed that monkey, or he chose none of them and they all ended up miserable.

Sprx and Apollo stood closer to one another than the others, looking uncomfortable. There had always been some playful flirting in their relationship, but now they were both competing for the same guy, which left them unsure how to react. Anger? Resentment? Competitiveness? But both of them cared too much about Chiro to reduce him to some kind of prize to be fought over, so now they just fidgeted and tried to think of some way to break the tension in the room.

Antauri decided to clear the air first, “I do believe it would be best if we all decided to spend some time apart, try and… figure ourselves out.” He frowned as he glanced back towards Chiro’s door, realizing that left as he was, Chiro might not say anything about this, and try and sweep it under the rug. Such a situation was far from ideal, “I suggest we leave Chiro a note, asking him to please come to the common room at… 8 sounds good? And for him to make his choice there. That will give him… and all of us, the rest of the day to think about this.” He turned to Mandarin, “And before you say anything, Mandarin, no I will not go alone, you can accompany me when I slip the note under his door.”

“And…!” Sprx spoke up, glancing at the others. “We all agree to respect his decision, no matter what. Getting jealous and making problems would hurt Chiro the most, and none of us wants that.” Apollo was surprised at this, but smiled and nodded in agreement. Sometimes Sprx reminded him why he was attracted to him in the first place. Among other reasons…

Mandarin scowled at this, but nodded as well. “It is only fair.” He glared at Antauri, but there was no venom in it this time. “Let us write the note, cradle-robber.”

Antauri smirked, “Coming from the monkey who is three years older.” Regardless, he nodded and turned to the rest of the team, “But very well, we will see you in the evening team.”

As the two walked off, Gibson sighed, “So…” He smiled in spite of himself, “we are all kind of idiots, aren’t we?” He looked over to the green monkey, “So, what was your plan, anyway Otto?”

He shrugged thinking it was obvious, “Well, I was gonna tell him that I really liked him and all that. Nothing special, ask him out too I guess.” He quickly waved his hands in front of him, “Although I didn’t know any of you guys felt the same way, honest!”

Gibson blinked a few times, before sighing, “What does it say about all of us, that you were the only one here who actually thought to do that?"


	3. Dread

The other monkeys were not entirely sure what to do with themselves, but they did drift apart as Antauri had suggested to try and sort out their feelings. Some might have wondered if they felt love or just friendship and attraction. Others might have worried that they were just interested in him because he was the only member of the team who didn’t feel uncomfortably like a sibling. Mandarin paced restlessly around the training room, never quite managing to use his weapons despite his frustration, feeling pathetic and needy for wanting Chiro to return his feelings, and bitter because yet again things had not turned out as he had wanted. And yet he found that he was not angry at Chiro himself; Chiro had been a rainbow in the dark, and comforted him at his lowest point. When he had… transgressed against the rest of the team, he had been put on the outs and made simian non grata with the others. It had been Chiro who had shaken up their dynamics and offered Mandarin a chance at redemption, and the boy might never know how profoundly thankful Mandarin was to earn his siblings forgiveness, or how deeply he had loved Chiro from that moment on. If Chiro wanted to only be his friend, Mandarin would be grateful for that alone. But he still desperately hoped that Chiro could see him as being worthy.

Antauri did his best to meditate, finding himself unable to no matter how hard he tried to let himself relax. That was the thing, he couldn’t relax, not when the thought of Chiro rejecting him kept running through his mind. It was ridiculous, of course, he knew that even if Chiro didn’t accept his feelings, he wouldn’t be rude about it, but it didn’t leave his mind any sooner with that knowledge. He had developed his feeling relatively early on, seeing Chiro less as a son, and always as more a cute young man. Still, as he had gotten to know him, the feelings flourished, him growing more certain with each day that Chiro would be the perfect leader. And with him being the second in command, he didn’t think a relationship with him would be too much of a stretch. If only he had voice his feelings sooner, perhaps, then things might be different. Of course, he realized how selfish that was towards his fellow teammates, and silently cursed himself.

Apollo punched the air in his room, but his heart wasn’t in it. His hands felt too heavy, and he wound up wandering over to his bed to flop down and stare at the ceiling. He’d never pegged himself as the mushy type, not like Sprx and his efforts to flirt and play and bond with others like he did. But Chiro… Chiro seemed so vulnerable, and then he revealed this unbreakable core of determination, and when it seemed he would need rescuing he turned around and lead them to victory. Apollo had developed a crush over time, and then deluded himself into thinking that he could defeat his feelings by spending time with Chiro via sparring and training, but the more he got the know him, the more he’d grown to like him. Apollo sighed and rolled over on his side, and wondered how bad a rejection would hurt.

Otto meanwhile, idly worked on his machines, not sure what to build, or to improve, and instead busied himself with taking apart and reassembling various pieces of equipment he had lying around. He knew each of them by heart, so it was an exercise in stress relief. He was never the romantic type, he always preferred friendship, but there was something special about Chiro, how fun and lighthearted he could be, even though he was their leader who could seemingly conquer any obstacle before him… Otto fell quickly for him. The green monkey hadn’t expected it, not after him trying to ask Gibson out that one time went so poorly, but it happened, and he was kind of dreading the time that was fast approaching.

Sprx wandered around the Super Robot with no clear destination in mind, only avoiding the others and distracting himself with using his magnets to swing from the ceiling, cling to the walls, and drag him forward down the halls. Despite the way he would flirt with the attractive aliens they came across, Apollo and anyone who caught his eye, Sprx had about as much experience with romance as any of the others did. Flirting was fun, and he enjoyed the way someone would light up or blush when he hit on them, but it never quite got past that stage. Then the kid had appeared one day to wake them up from the long sleep and swept Sprx right off his feet without even trying. He could play it cool, but here was a handsome, adorable little badass who pushed all of Sprx’s buttons with a mallet. Sprx was definitely interested, and had wasted no time in using every trick he knew to catch Chiro’s attention in return, but the kid wound up seeing him more as a brother, until Sprx finally coaxed him into seeing him as the little red stud he knew he was. Except that he’d messed up, wound up looking like a fool, and might have ruined his chances to even be Chiro’s big bro. Sprx trudged glumly, his magnets dragging on the ground. It just figured the first time he’d really wanted someone, he’d flub it up this badly.

Gibson spent his time in the med bay, taking stock of all their supplies, but not really doing it well, constantly miscounting and skipping objects. He had thought he should take his mind off of what had happened, but it was doing the exact opposite, making him focus more on the upcoming announcement. He had always told himself that romance, love, all that nonsense wasn’t for him. But over the past few months, something inside of him had apparently decided to disagree with that, and get a huge crush on their junior leader. He was an inquisitive mind at heart, Gibson could tell, and the boy was… very cute. That combined with his pleasant demeanor, and his willingness to put up with his introverted behavior wasn’t something that Gibson came across often. Of course, being as inexperienced with the idea of romance as he was, he of course would completely mess it up.

The fated hour came at last, and it was with no small amount of reluctance that the team gathered in the common room, and there was general uncertainty as to how to present themselves for Chiro when he arrived. Looking miserable would only make him feel guilty, while looking happy would give him the impression that they each felt like they were going to be chosen, and pretending to be entirely nonchalant about the whole situation was probably impossible. By unspoken agreement, they each stayed away from each other, sitting on opposite sides of the room and giving everyone plenty of space. Their anxiety rose with each minute, and it was difficult not to stare at the door as they waited for their leader to arrive and give his decision.

Chiro came in slowly, smiling nervously, eyes panning from each team member to the other, “Uh... hey guys. Got your note.” He chuckled shakily, before falling silent, rubbing the back of his head as he tried to continue. “So… you guys all really like me then, huh?”

Sprx had to bite back a reply that would have been too loud, and ended up making a kind of squeaking noise, but he nodded. He would have taken Chiro’s hand to add to his sincerity, but he was pretty sure one of the others would have socked him. Apollo tried to smile reassuringly at him, and nodded as well. “We really do, Chiro.” Mandarin squirmed in his seat, forced to openly admit his feelings once again, and wound up curling his legs up to his chest, and wrapping his arms and tail around them before looking and Chiro with sad eyes and nodding.

Chiro gulped, trying his best to gather his courage and say what was next, “Well um… I really like all of you guys. Like… I don’t know who to choose so…” He drifted off, the silence deafening.

Gibson did his best not to say anything, he had a feeling this was how it was going to go. Chiro choosing none of them as to keep the team together the best he could. Antauri was frowning, thinking the same thing, but was reluctantly accepting it. “...I want to date all of you!” Chiro exclaimed. All of them are shocked, Otto the first to say anything. “Huh?”

Sprx and Apollo blinked, looking at each other in shock to confirm that they had really heard that, and Mandarin was slowly uncurling himself from the anxious ball he’d been, and looking surprisingly hopeful. “...Really?”

Chiro nodded, “Uh… yeah… I don’t really prefer any of you and… I think you’re all equally good looking, and… um… yeah.” He really didn’t know what else to say, he didn’t want to play favorites, and he figured why not try all of them.

There was a quiet tension in the room as the team looked at one another, and then slowly all eyes turned to Mandarin, their body language suggesting that the orange monkey was holding a large bomb in his lap and his thumb hovered shakily over the trigger. When Mandarin saw their expressions, he glared at them. “What? What is it? You think I will be jealous? Ha! Chiro just said I am as good as the rest of you! So there!” He folded his arms and affected an attitude of triumph, as though he had somehow won their six-way contest between them all.

Chrio blushed, not sure what to do now. “So um… I’ve never been on a date with a guy before or anything like that. And I really mean it when I don’t know which one of you I want to date first… so I figured I’d just pick at random?”

“You sure you don’t want us to just claim a part of you and romance you like that, kid?” Sprx teased, trying to ease the tension in the room as the monkey team began to come to terms with the idea that they were not being rejected by Chiro and that they would actually get to share him, and that their world was not ending as they had feared. The red monkey hopped out of his seat and approached Chiro, taking the human’s right hand and kissing it languidly. “Cause I gotta say, I’d be fine with that…” Sprx’s large, soft lips actually felt very nice against the sensitive skin on the back of Chiro’s hand, and the way he proceeded to nuzzle the hand after that might have left Chiro tingly.

It might have gotten further than that, had Apollo not stormed over to them both and yanked Sprx back by his tail. He yelped, but offered no resistance to the pink-eyed monkey, who turned to Chiro with a more gentle expression. “Chiro, what you’ve been doing so far was pretty much dating, only now we’re all on the same page with what kind of emotions are involved. Don’t be nervous, because believe me, we’re all fine with this.” He glanced around, looking for any disagreement, but it seemed the monkeys were unanimously in favor of the polyamory. It certainly beat the alternative.

Otto nodded happily, laughing at Sprx’s antics, “Yeah, I don’t mind it at all. As long as we can date and stuff, I think it’ll be great.” And to be honest, if Chiro was being polyamorous, there was no reason he and the other’s couldn’t be right? Because he was wondering if maybe he could try something with Gibson, sure last time had gone poorly, but maybe he had changed. But either way, he got to be with Chiro, so he would be happy.

The silver monkey nodded, “Indeed, if this makes you happy Chiro, I am sure we can all go along with it.” Antauri smiled, although a small part of him, a very small, primitive part of him that he hated, was saying no; that Chiro should be his, and his alone. But he ignored it, after all, things would be better this way, right? The team would be closer, and hopefully, that small part of him would quiet, or learn to accept this.

“Well, I mean, yeah. But I meant, dating you guys officially and stuff, because I can’t really count all that stuff before, on my part at least. I mean…” He blushed as he looked over them, “I want to know what you’re all like when you’re being open about it, and stuff.” He didn’t know how to aptly say it, but he wanted to see them courting him, loving him. And if spending time with them would be as pleasant as that kiss Sprx just gave him was, he thinks he’ll definitely enjoy this; maybe even more than he did his time with Jinmay.

“So… who goes first, then? You said it was going to be at random, right?” Apollo ventured, slightly concerned that there was going to be a free-for-all when it came to trying to woo Chiro, and slightly more concerned that he might not win it. “Would dice work? For picking the one you want to start with, I mean.”

Gibson nodded, agreeing with this plan, “There are six of us, and six sides on a dice.” He looked around at all of them, “We would each take a number, and Chiro would roll the dice. The number he landed on would be the person he dates first.” It seemed, in his mind to be the fairest approach.

“It would probably work best if we were assigned based on our pilot numbers. Which means that I would be one, Antauri would be two, Sprx would be three, and so on. Does that sound amicable?” Mandarin asked, his tone full of its usual sneer but he was making a genuine effort to show that he wasn’t going to try and mess this up. He wanted to, of course. He wanted to drag Chiro off and claim him as his own and let no one else have him. But he had learned the hard truths about caring for others, and was determined not to ruin his present happiness with the selfish patterns of the past.

“I get to be four then!” Otto happily exclaimed, going along with the plan with ease, finding such an arrangement to more than suit his needs. If he went first, great! If he went last, just as good, it meant more time to plan the perfect date for Chiro! He had no problem sharing Chiro, just as long as they got to love each other at some point, he would be fine.

“Okay! Who’s got some dice?” Sprx looked around at the rest of the team, certain that at least one of them would have picked up some dice somewhere. They collected plenty of miscellaneous junk for their rooms, and there was bound to be a small, vital dice somewhere.

“Yes, because obviously, one of us will have dice on us Sprx.” Gibson rolled his eyes, smirking as he scanned the room, sure they had a board game stored away here somewhere. He was actually thinking in a manner similar to Otto, hoping he would actually get to go last, for planning purposes. He spotted one stowed away under the couch, and pulled it out, it looking to be some sort of Monopoly like game. He took the cover off and grabbed the dice from it, “All right then, here. I’ll be six, if that’s alright with you Apollo.”

Apollo arched an eyebrow at that, not sure at all why the meticulous Gibson would want to go out of order, but he didn’t care either way. The odds were the same no matter what the number was, so five was as good as six. He took the discarded cover from the game and wrote on the underside what their numbers were: Mandarin was One, Antauri was Two, Sprx was Three, Otto was Four, Apollo was Five and Gibson was Six. There was a collective intake of breath as they waited for Chiro to roll the dice.

Chiro too a deep breath and picked up the dice, shaking it for a moment before letting it fly. It landed on the table skittering to a stop in plain view, the number four head showing upright. “...well, you go first Otto.” He looked up at the green monkey, who smiled.

“Cool! When do you want to go, tomorrow?” That should give him enough time to plan something.

Chiro nodded, tomorrow sounded fine to him. “Uh, sure, I can work with that.”

That seemed to be that, and the rest of the team breathed a collective sigh of relief. It seemed their leader had guided them through yet another potential disaster, and things were looking up.

“So, kid, now that we’re openly flirting, can I just tell you that you look real nice in that scarf? Seriously, I might swoon. You’d catch me, right?” Sprx, of course, couldn’t leave well enough alone, and was smiling up at Chiro with half-lidded eyes, his tail forming a heart shape behind him.

“It’s Otto’s turn!” Apollo snapped at him.

“Otto isn’t doing anything until tomorrow! Come on, Otto, at least hug him or something!” Sprx replied, as no one had said that they _weren’t_ allowed to flirt with Chiro when it wasn’t their turn.

Chiro blushed heavily under the attention, certainly not used to more than the occasional mention from Jinmay that he had been looking nice that day. “Uh, that’s alright. It’s getting late and I was thinking I would go to bed early.” Shuggazoom knows he needed the rest after a day as stressful as this.

Antauri nodded, “Well, I think that’s fair Chiro. After all, you’ve been through quite a lot today, no one can deny that.” He looked around at everyone, signaling them that they should let their leader rest.

The team filed out, some more reluctantly than others, and Mandarin was the last to leave. He gave Chiro one last glance over his shoulder before heading to his room, a repurposed storage area that had been allotted to him due to Chiro inheriting his old room.

Chiro watched them all leave, sighing as they finally closed the door behind them, and slowly headed up to his room, feeling completely drained. What had just happened? Had he really just agreed to date the entire team? The whole scenario was absolutely insane, and yet… something in him fluttered at the idea. And as he got ready for bed, he couldn’t help but wonder what tomorrow would hold.


	4. Otto

Chiro was awoken the next morning with a polite knock on the door, and a voice calling out. “Chiro, can I come in?”

Chrio rolled out of his covers, wearing some simple pajamas, and still half asleep. “Huh? Sure…” He lazily swung his feet over the side of his bed, and stood up.

“Good morning, Chiro!” Otto chirped, stepping into the room with a big smile on his face, and a vase of flowers in his arm. The flowers were tiger lillies, and they stood out against the cool blue interior of the Super Robot, not to mention the vibrant colored vase that housed them. He handed it to Chiro with evident delight. “I got you flowers! Cause it’s traditional, and also cause they’re supposed to represent bringing pretty stuff for people we think are swell, and I think you’re really neat!”

“Wha…?!” Being handed the vibrant flowers, their smell wafting into his nose, quickly awoke Chiro. They were beautiful, orange and black… his colors he supposed. He blushed, not used to such a thing. Being the guy, it was usually him that gave the presents to Jinmay, not the other way around. “Wow, thanks Otto.” He set the vase down on his nightstand, and turned back to the green cyborg. “I uh… didn’t think you’d start our date this early.”

“Oh, we can start whenever you want!” Otto waved his metallic hand flippantly. “I just wanted to talk to you, first.” He stepped forward and then gently wrapped his arms around Chiro. “I had to say thank you. For giving us all a chance like this. It means a lot, and everyone was so scared last night, but now they’re so happy.” He smiled up at Chiro. “You’re really great, Chiro!”

“Haha, thanks Otto, I mean, I didn’t really do much.” He rubbed his head in embarrassment as Otto hugged him, “Well, do you mind if I get change and stuff?” He didn’t exactly want to strip in front of the monkey, even if they were dating.

“Sure! Oh, and here!” Otto scampered back to the door, and grabbed something just outside the frame, and scampered back. “These are for our date!” He handed Chiro a helmet and a pair of goggles. “Just come to my workshop when you want to get started!” He called as he retreated from the room and gave Chiro his privacy.

Chiro wondered what they could possibly be for, before setting them down and walking to his bathroom to get ready for the day ahead of him. A few minutes later, he emerged from his bedroom, now dressed, and made his way to the kitchen, grabbing a piece of fruit, waving to Antauri who was conversing with an eating Sprx.

“Hello there, Chiro.” Antauri said as he looked up from the conversation, “Has Otto approached you yet about the day you were having?”

“Hey, kid.” Sprx smiled at him, as he often did, but there was something more to it this morning. A slight curve of his lips, the way his head was tilted, the way his tail swung slowly behind him… he seemed to be looking at Chiro in a new light.

Chiro nearly choked on the apple in his throat as he caught how Sprx was looking at him. Had he always been looking at him like that, and he hadn’t noticed? He quickly swallowed it down, smiling nervously, “Uh, yeah. He told me to meet him in his workshop when he was ready. I was gonna head there after this.”  
  
Antauri smiled, a very small amount of envy showing through on his face, “Well, I hope you two enjoy yourselves.” As long as they didn’t enjoy themselves, _too much_ , went unspoken, although Chiro swore he saw it in Antauri’s expression.

“Oh, Chiro! I meant to ask you, did you roll the dice again? I mean, I’m not gonna step on Otto’s toes, but I’d like to know when my turn is coming up.” Sprx inquired, deciding that asking Chiro who got his first kiss was something better left answered when Antauri wasn’t around.

Chiro shook his head, “Uh, no. Not yet, I mean, I just woke up. I guess after my date with Otto?” That seemed a good a time as any, to him at least.

Antauri nodded, “That seems more than fair. It would let you enjoy your date without worrying about the next team member you would be dating.” If Sprx had asked, coincidentally, Antauri would have maintained his composure, and said that they would likely decide it the same way as dating, all while Chiro would have blushed profusely.

When Chiro was on his way down to the engineering bay, he crossed paths with Mandarin, who seemed completely shocked to see him, and froze in place before composing himself and closing the distance between them. “You are… going on your date with Otto, then?”

“Uh… yeah. I figured I might as well get an early start, you know?” He smiled a bit and shrugged, knowing that Mandarin was probably taking this the worst out of all of them, knowing that he wasn’t the sole focus of his affections. He had found the former leader had warmed up to him quickly after he joined, which he hadn’t thought anything of at the time, but now realized the reason for.

Mandarin seemed uncharacteristically lost and fidgeted restlessly, his tail curling around him defensively. He opened his mouth to speak, and then closed it again. “I… I sincerely hope that you have a good time with him. I mean it!” He added, as though Chiro had expressed doubt.

Chiro nodded, smiling slightly, “Thanks Mandarin. I… uh…” He really didn’t know what he could say to make the situation less awkward. “I’ll try, you have a good day while I’m out, okay?”

Mandarin nodded and then moved to walk past Chiro, pausing just long enough to reach out and gingerly pat Chiro’s leg, looking up at him to make sure it was all right before he continued on his way.

Chrio quickly made the remainder of the way to Otto’s workshop, glad not to have any more awkward encounters along the way. He knocked on the door, holding the helmet and goggles in hand, “Otto? I’m here.”

“Come on in, Chiro! I already finished it!” Otto called out, wiping off his hands with a rag and then heading over to the water fountain to finish washing them. When Chiro stepped inside, Otto proudly gestured to the vehicle under the spotlight. “Ta-da! It’s the Super Robot Speedbuggy! I’m gonna take you for a ride around the Zone of Wasted Years!”

“Whoa.” Chiro stared for a few seconds, before smirking a little, chuckling, “I figured you were going to build something for me, but not something so… elaborate.” He circled around the little buggy, noting it would seat the two of them quite comfortably. “It looks really nice.”

“Thanks!” Otto beamed at the compliment. “I almost worked on it all night, but the others made me go to bed so I wouldn’t be tired for our date.”

“Ha, that was probably for the best.” Chrio grinned, knowing that Otto would have indeed stayed up all night to work on a project, having done it several times before. “So, the wasted zone huh? You think it’ll be safe?”

“Yup! We won’t be going too far away, and I got plenty of defenses, just in case!” With a pleasant smile, Otto pointed a remote at the Super Robot Speedbuggy, which immediately sprouted spikes all over its surface, the tips of which began to glow with electrical energy as a transparent sphere surrounded the vehicle. “It even has a force field! And seatbelts! And a cupholder!” Otto cheerfully listed its attributes as he held up a scanner towards Chiro and registered his vital data to make sure the Speedbuggy recognized him as an ally.

“Man, you really went all out for this, huh? No wonder you nearly went without sleep. How long have you been working on this?” He continued to inspect the vehicle, appreciating the craftsmanship Otto had put behind it. Even the seats seemed to be high quality.

Otto modestly rubbed the back of his helmet. “Aw, I had the frame for a while now, I just needed to figure out what to use it for. And the other parts I just had laying around. I think they were meant to make you a present.” Otto grinned at him, and hopped into the driver’s seat. “Ready to go?”

Chiro nodded as he slipped on the helmet and goggles, “Sure, let’s go.” He jumped in besides Otto, and the engine roared to life. “Whoa, this thing is powerful!”

Otto chuckled, and slipped his own goggles into place, a smirk on his lips as he reveled in his creation. The press of a button, and the doors to the bay opened and revealed the sky before them. Otto shifted the gear shaft, and the wheels squealed as they peeled out of the hanger and into the open air. “YAH-HOO!” Otto whooped as they plummeted, landing on the ground with a thump and never slowing down. Chiro would notice that he was not being slammed around like one would rightfully expect given the amount of momentum the sudden twists and stops they were experiencing; it seemed that Otto had worked very hard on the shock absorbers, leaving Chiro able to fully enjoy the ride.

Chrio momentarily wondered why Otto had goggles when his helmet already had eye protectors, but guessed Otto just liked the look of them; and he agreed, they looked strangely cute on the green monkey. He immediately went back to enjoying the ride, laughing at the fast twists and turns as Otto drove through the outskirts of the city and into the wasted zone. The amount of work Otto had been able to put into the machine was truly impressive, especially considering the small amount of time he had, it just made him appreciate the mechanic all the more.

Riding in the Super Robot Speedbuggy was akin to a joyride in a freewheeling roller coaster with Otto at the wheel. A tug of a lever sent them jumping high into the sky, a spin of the wheel had them taking sharp turns to avoid obstacles, and the push of a button had them accelerating to blurring speeds. Eventually, the green monkey slowed them down to a more leisurely pace so that they could more enjoy the sights of the strange landscape instead of whizzing by them.

Taking a moment away from viewing the scenery, Chiro turned to Otto with a smile, “This thing is amazing Otto! Like, date or not, I’m having a great time!” He laughed, “I mean, I always knew you were great at building stuff, but this really takes the cake. Well, besides all the work you do to keep the robot running that is.”

“Thanks, Chiro!” Otto grinned at him, using his tail to reach over and give Chiro a quick hug around his torso. Honestly, Otto had a lot of fun maintaining the Super Robot, and it wasn’t as though he didn’t have plenty of help when he needed it. All of them had gravitated to the roles they most wanted to play, though perhaps none of them enjoyed their job as much as Otto did. “I’m glad you like it! Hey, do you wanna drive for a while?” He offered, pressing a button to make a steering wheel pop up in front of Chiro.

“What?” Chiro was more than a little surprised when the wheel popped up in front of him. “Are you sure? I don’t know how to drive, and it took me months to learn how to use the robot correctly.” Indeed, they were very lucky the Skeleton King’s attacks had been fairly small scale before that point, or else they would have been in big trouble. Not to say he didn’t want to, just that he wanted far more to not wreck Otto’s creation.

“Sure! This area is pretty flat, so there isn’t much to run into! Plus I put like a million safety thingies on this baby.” Otto assured him with a thumbs up. “Go for it, Chiro!”

While Chiro doubted there was quite a million, even for Otto that would be a lot of work, he felt that if Otto said it was really okay, then he might as well try. His hands rested on the wheel uncomfortably, and he began to turn the cart left and right while Otto kept on the gas at a low speed. “Uh, is that okay?”

“Yep! You’re doin’ great!” Otto made it a point to accelerate a bit to let Chiro get the feel of a higher speed. “Wanna try the turbo boost yet?”

He gulped as he got used to the high speed, feeling somewhat uneasy at first, but soon finding it exhilarating, “Okay, yeah, let’s try it.”

Otto giggled, and pressed the button to activate the rocket in the back, and they were both pushed back in their seats by the G-forces as Otto whooped with glee.

Chiro screamed in a mix of horror and joy as they rocketed forward at high speeds, flying along the ground, wind whipping past them. “Whooooaaaa!” He felt his stomach drop as they sped along for another few seconds, before the boost cut out and they slowly fell back to normal speeds.

“Hee hee hee…!” Otto was all but breathless after that jaunt, and he patted Chiro’s shoulder. “See? I knew you’d do great!”

Chiro nodded, “Yeah, that was… wow! That was really fun Otto!” He grinned as Otto took over driving again.

The green monkey was happy to show off by driving them in an erratic path to demonstrate the Super Robot Speedbuggy’s full range of abilities, and by the time they were ready to turn around and head back, they were both a little worn out, so Otto set it on “Otto-Pilot” to drive them back as he leaned back and relaxed. “Thanks for coming out with me, Chiro!”

Chiro chuckled as he spotted the setting Otto had switched it too, “Really? ‘Otto’ pilot? That’s something I’d expect from Sprx.” He continued chuckling as he too relaxed. “No problem Otto, it was really fun, I’d be glad to do it again sometime.”

“Hey, he’s not the only one who knows how to have fun!” Otto retorted, chuckling. They rode in comfortable silence for a while, then Otto looked down at his hand, deliberating. Should he…? Gathering his courage, he reached over and gently settled his hand on top of Chiro’s own.

‘Fun’, right. Chiro rolled his eyes but allowed the monkey to enjoy his pun. He began to nod off a little as they rode along, and as such barely noticed when Otto placed his hand on his. When he looked down at the strange feeling, and saw Otto’s hand on his, he blushed lightly, but decided to leave it there. It felt… nice.

Otto was content with just this much contact, and didn’t try to push things any further than that, though he did gently rub the top of Chiro’s hand as they rode along, the Super Robot looming up in the distance. All in all, it had been a pretty good date.


	5. More Gambling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group has to choose who Chiro's dating next, and other stupid stuff.

It was about half an hour later that Chiro emerged from his room, having gone to clean himself up from the dirt and muck he had gotten all over him as a result of the buggy ride. Not that he had minded of course, if anything, it had made the experience all the more exhilarating. Of course, he couldn’t think about it without thinking of Otto, and he could definitely say that he wanted to go on another date with the green monkey. Somehow, the quiet moments between them stuck out even more than the fun they had when the buggy was roaring across the terrain; the strange comfort he had only ever experienced before with Jinmay. 

He finished up in his bathroom and headed towards the common room, figuring he might as well stop there on his way to the kitchen for dinner. After all, there was a good chance that some of the team was already there, waiting for him to make the next roll, and decide who he dated next.

Though decided by chance, Otto had been a good choice for a first date. He was neither smug nor self-satisfied about having had his chance with Chiro, and if anything, he only looked more content and at peace with his place in the universe. 

The same could not be said for the rest of the Team. It was no where near as bad as it had been the night before, but there was still an uneasy air of tension hanging in the room as they awaited the next roll of the dice. Mandarin was crouched on the arms of one of the chairs with his back to the room; he was trying to keep his composure but he couldn’t shake the feeling that the rest of the Team was unfairly assuming the worst of him. Sprx and Apollo were chatting more amiably now, but their body language was not as relaxed as it had been a few nights before. The tension was only broken when Chiro finally entered the room and they collectively sighed in relief. 

“Hey kid! Have a good time? I see Otto managed to get you home before curfew.” Sprx teased him. “Guess that means you two didn’t make a stop at Make Out Desolate Plain?”

Chiro blushed a bit, “No!” He wasn’t quite as taken aback as he would have been if Sprx said that yesterday, but it still made him feel weird to hear that. “I mean, we didn’t do anything like that, I mean… we barely held hands.”

Otto smiled happily at that memory, while the rest of the team looked over at him, partially envious, partially glad that Otto hadn’t gone further than that. Of course, that wasn’t to say they planned on going further either. Well, that’s what they told themselves at least.

Gibson glanced at the die lying on the table, wondering if he had ever cared so much about a white cube with black dots before. Probably not, he thought as he cleared his throat. “So, I do believe that it is time to… choose our numbers again. Correct?” 

Antauri considered this, “Well, seeing as it is up to chance, I say we all keep the same numbers. If it lands on four, Chiro just rolls again.” After all, it wasn’t as if the numbers held importance.  


“Okay. sounds fine to me.” Chiro said, stepping up to take the die from the table, the whole team, aside from Otto, watching with anticipation. The die skittered to a stop on the edge of the table, almost falling off before everyone saw the up facing side, one.

“Yes!” Mandarin punched the air with a cry of triumph. “Yes! Triumph is mine! Fickle fate has seen fit to smile upon me this day!” 

As he continued to rant, Apollo leaned closer to Sprx. “I’m getting flashbacks to when we used to play cards with him.” The boxer remarked dryly. 

“-am the victor!” Mandarin finished, flush with the heady rush of success, and then turned to Chiro with a grin before he bowed with more elegance than they thought he possessed. “Chiro, I would be most pleased if you would accompany me on an excursion tomorrow. I will make dinner.” He added to prove that he was magnanimous in victory, before he hopped off of his chair and marched away with his head held high. 

Chiro wasn’t quite sure what to say as he watched Mandarin march away, other than a simple, “Ok.” He managed to eke out before Mandarin was out the door. He turned back to the rest of the team,  “Uh… I guess I’ll go have dinner then.”

When Chiro ventured into the kitchen, he found that former team leader was already making progress on dinner, having dragged a large metal pot out and filling it with broth and water. He was actually humming to himself as he retrieved more ingredients from the cupboards, his lashing tail visible from the table. Watching Mandarin work was an interesting demonstration of his ambidextrous skills as he grabbed an onion with his foot, passed it to his tail and tossed it into the air before chopping it with his energy sword before it completed its arc into the pot, all without glancing behind him. The rest of the Monkey Team were no less agile, but they generally used their feet for walking, and their tails for balance, whereas Mandarin used all five limbs interchangeably with little visible effort. A pepper was diced while he was upside down, and a carrot was chopped up while he was leaping from one side of the room to the other. Mandarin had certainly possessed the physical skills he had needed to lead the Team; it was a pity he was so sorely lacking in everything else. 

Chiro had to admit, it was definitely impressive. Even if he had a tail, he doubted he would be able to accomplish something like that, and he stared as the rest of the team caught up to him, entering the kitchen behind him.

Mandarin was almost palpably smug as he continued to swing and leap around the kitchen, but he was at least a decent cook. The scent was appetizing, and by the time he was ladling his creation into bowls for the rest of them, the rest of the team was eagerly seated at the table. 

“Shouldn’t we have him take the first bite?” Sprx teased, prompting Apollo to smack him upside the head and tilt his helmet forward, though it did nothing to diminish his smirk. 

Ignoring Sprx, Mandarin placed the last bowl in front of Chiro with a flourish, and beamed up at him. “Bon appetite, Chiro.”

“Um… thanks.” He wasn’t sure how he felt about this, even at his most affectionate with him, Mandarin never acted quite so… happy. He was honestly a bit weirded out by it. Still, it would be rude to not eat his food, especially when it did actually look and smell quite good. “What is it exactly?” He asked as he blew on the hot bowl of soup.

“Vegetables.” Mandarin answered promptly, blowing on his own soup and eating in a leisurely manner. He did indeed look unusually happy, but the rest of the Team would recognize it as the kind of smug self-satisfaction he wore when he felt he’d won a decisive victory. He had been insufferable for weeks after he won their battle royale. 

Apollo was the last to start eating, though he tried not to be obvious about it. As the two (very arguably) strongest fighters on the Team, Mandarin had felt that Apollo deserved special attention and training to unlock his full potential. Unfortunately, Mandarin had been a very firm believer in tough love, and it had driven a deep wedge between the two of them that remained to this day. It wasn’t a big deal, no matter how much Sprx pestered him with questions about it, it was just another annoyance that came with dealing with his brothers. 

Antauri was relatively pleased that Mandarin wasn’t being too spiteful in his winning, having made a dish that was palatable for him, although he too recognized the mood he was currently in. He hoped for his own sake that he soon dropped it, as he doubted Chiro would very much appreciate it.

Otto was thinking roughly the same, his own date having been a relative success, he was hoping the same for the others, and he had a feeling that if anyone would end up screwing up in a major way on their date, it would probably be Mandarin. The monkey was a perfectionist, and even he knew that was trouble when planning a romantic outing.

Mandarin finished first, and waited for the others to finish their own bowls before politely gathering them up and addressing Chiro. “Chiro? What time would you like to go on our date tomorrow?” He seemed to be really leaning on his polite/courteous mode now, which he rarely pulled out except when he felt the need to cajole a favor out of someone, and even then he usually just tried to intimidate them into doing what he wanted. 

“Uh, well… our schedule has me doing a patrol tomorrow morning, so anytime after that I guess.” Really, the team seemed to have freed up his schedule over the past few days a lot, in terms of training and patrols. Although he liked to think part of it was because he was getting better and didn’t need it as much anymore, he was pretty sure it was just them ensuring he had time for their dates.

Gibson was tempted to bring up that it had actually been Mandarin and Antauri’s idea in the first place, he himself believing it was best for Chiro to continue his studies, but the two of them had convinced the rest of the team that Chiro could go a few days without as many responsibilities.

“Excellent! I will take the time to make all the preparations!” Mandarin clapped his metal hands together, looking pleased. “I must take my leave of you now, brothers. There is much to do!” He scampered out of the kitchen, and then poked his head back in the doorframe. “AlsoGibsonIamusingyourlab. Goodbye!”

Otto laughed as it took a few moments for Gibson to properly react, “Wait what?!” But Mandarin was already gone, and Gibson left pouting. “He had better not destroy anything in there. It’s not every day I can get Shuggazoomian citizens to donate the types of materials I need!”

Chiro looked around, smiling awkwardly, “So… uh… Sprx and Otto, you two want to play some video games?” It was several hours until he would need to go to sleep, and he didn’t have much else to do. He even glanced at Antauri who seemed to nod a little bit to say that it was fine.

“Sure thing, kid! Wanna be on my team…?” The sly way he said it made the double-entendre hard to miss. “Or maybe me and Otto can team up against you…?” Now he was leaning against the table, his chin in his hand and his eyes half-lidded as he sent a smile up at Chiro. 

Apollo rolled his eyes impressively well considering he had no visible pupils. “Don’t worry, Chiro, he was like this when we were dating, too. All you have to do is flick him on the nose and say ‘No.’.” 

Chiro still blushed, but at the same time, laughed a little, more nervous than anything, but he guessed it was progress on his part. Otto did too, albeit more earnestly, “C’mon Sprx, besides, you know that if it was me and Chiro versus you, you’d lose right away.”

Antauri merely looked on with a sigh as he walked out of the kitchen, “Remember Sprx, it’s not your turn to date Chiro, the same goes for you Otto.”

Otto nodded, smiling, he was more than happy with his time with Chiro, so he didn’t feel any need to make a move on him.

“No one said flirting wasn’t allowed!” Sprx countered, but he lead the way to the common room and their gaming system without trying to make Chiro blush again, even if he did find it extremely entertaining. 

The night continued peacefully, with Sprx and Otto on either side of Chiro during the electronic battle royale, and if they were sitting a bit closer than they had before this polyamorous plan had been enacted, well… It wasn’t that bad, having two close friends nearly pressed up against him, their limbs flailing as they each tried to encourage their fighter through furiously emphatic gesturing. 

“Mmm, c’mon.” Chiro growled as he tried to mash his way out of Otto’s stun lock, his avatar being wailed upon by the green monkey’s own. Just as he was about to be knocked out, Sprx seemed to come out of nowhere and delivered a vicious combo to Otto’s character. “Ha, thanks Sprx!” Just as Otto was pouting about his character being KO’d, Sprx avatar spun around and gave a killing blow to Chiro’s. “Aw man, that was super cheap of you Sprx.” 

“Don’t hate the player, hate the game, kid.” Sprx replied, smirking as his character remained the victor of that round. 

Otto shrugged with a sudden grin, “Well, we’re still beating you over all, that was the first round you’ve won Sprx.” He was tempted to rub it in more, but only pointed at the score on the top, that put him and Chiro tied for first with two each.

Chiro nodded, “And seeing as it’s still first to three, I don’t think you’re going to beat us.”

“We’ll see!” Sprx insisted, returning with enthusiasm to the next round. 

Indeed, Sprx was determined to make them see, again barely squeaking in another win the next round; leading to a groaning Chiro, “That was SOOOO cheap.”

Sprx pumped his fist in triumph. “Sorry, kid, can’t hear you over the sound of the trumpets announcing my victory!” 

Otto shook his head, “Nuh uh uh Mister, this is the deciding round!” 

They started it up again, and the trio were soon at it, their avatars dancing around the screen as they attempted to be the winner. Chiro was the first one out this round, trying to parry a blow of Otto’s but missing the timing by just a hair. “Aw man.” That left it Otto and Sprx, both whittled down to their last bit of health.

“...Hey, Otto… How about a bet?” Sprx offered in a suspiciously casual tone. “Winner of this one gets to sit in Chiro’s lap?” He turned and winked at Chiro to let him know this was mostly a joke. Mostly. 

“Sure!” Otto’s tone as he agreed sounded so innocent that Chiro wasn’t sure if the green monkey got the innotations behind the offer or not. Either way, the bet seemed to give Otto an extra boost in skill, or perhaps in luck, and he delivered a finishing blow to Sprx in a matter of seconds.

Chiro looked over as Sprx cursed the turn of events, before looking over to Otto. “Uhm…” He wasn’t quite sure what to say to Otto.

Otto just chuckled and slowly crawled forward until his small body was settled on top of Chiro’s thighs, and he leaned back to smile up at the human. “Thanks for a fun day, Chiro.” 

Chiro nodded back with a small, somewhat nervous smile, while Sprx watched on, seeming to fume a bit. They stayed like that for a few seconds, before Otto giggled and hopped off, “Well, it’s time to get ready for bed!”

Sprx had mercy on Chiro and didn’t offer to escort him back to his room, though he did blow him a kiss before heading off to his own bedroom. “Night, kid. Sleep well!” 

Chiro nodded with a bit of wave, and quickly ducked into his bedroom.


	6. Mandarin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a long ass chapter, it's less Mandarin getting favoritism and more introducing an obvious plot device for later...

When the human awoke the next morning he would find a very large bouquet on his side table, which immediately begged the question of how Mandarin had gotten into his room, much less carefully set a heavy vase full of water and flowers next to Chiro without him awakening. It was unfortunate that Mandarin’s intended romantic gesture had been accomplished in such a borderline-creepy way, because it probably was not a good omen for the date itself. On the plus side, they were beautiful roses, which Chiro soon realized were the same colors as the Monkey Team, with an emphasis on Mandarin (and Chiro’s) signature orange hues among the bouquet. As Chiro’s eyes adjusted from sleep, he noticed that the flowers themselves were faintly glowing, which could be the reason that Mandarin had insisted on borrowing Gibson’s lab the night before.

‘Well, um… they’re nice if nothing else.’ He thought to himself as he got out of bed, the faint glow of the roses were a nice touch. Still, the fact that Mandarin had sneaked into his room last night and placed these without notice, he kind of wondered if he had snuck in before to watch him sleep, or any of the others for that matter. No, no, he shouldn’t think that, his team was better than that… right? He got up and got ready for the day, flicking on the lights so that the glow of the roses wasn’t quite as evident, the effect was slightly creepy the longer they stayed there.

Unlike Otto the day before, Mandarin made no appearance before Chiro was ready to leave his room, and upon opening the door he saw a handwritten parchment on the opposite wall. It was in Mandarin’s own artistic hand, he and Antauri being the only two on the Super Robot who practiced calligraphy with any real enthusiasm, and it read:  
“Dearest Chiro, I hope that this morning finds you well, and I would be most appreciative if you would join me in the Left Foot at your earliest convenience.  
With ~~Love~~ Fondest Regards, Mandarin.”

Chiro had always found it sort of funny that the two of them could do calligraphy, even when the two explained that the Veran Mystics had taught them. He wondered why they had bothered with such a skill, it wasn’t very useful now that everyone either communicated via communicator or electronic messages of various forms. Still, he thought it looked nice, especially when compared to his own handwriting (public schools on Shuggazoom didn’t put much of an emphasis on penmanship). “Left foot, huh?” He muttered to himself as he made his way down. He… ignored the poorly scratched out word for now, thinking that it was bound to come up sooner or later anyway, and it wasn’t like he was opposed to the idea.

Down in the left foot of the Super Robot, Mandarin paced nervously, and tried to tell himself he was only stretching in preparation for the date. But he was hand-springing backwards across the floor, vaulting over unused equipment, and almost literally bouncing off the walls with anxiety, so he was much relieved when he finally heard Chiro approach. “Down here, Chiro!” He called to guide the boy to the storage room where he had kept the surprise. The room was dimly lit and the only real light source was a spotlight that pointed to something just about Chiro’s height, covered by a sheet.

The team leader in question made his way into the storage room, somewhat confused. He wouldn’t lie, the team had experienced a few situations similar to this before, and the surprise they encountered was never good, so he was a little weary. “Uh, morning Mandarin.” He waved awkwardly at the orange monkey, still glad to see him regardless.

“Good morning, Chiro!” Mandarin replied, clearly delighted by the entire situation, and he gestured to the shrouded object. “Are you ready?” He didn’t wait for a reply before sweeping the sheet off of the mysterious thing to reveal…! An empty display case. “Ta-da!”

Chiro smiled a bit, obviously confused, “Thanks…?” He chuckled a little bit. “I’m going to go ahead and guess there’s some sort of meaning behind this display case, because I like to think you’d have something better in mind if you were going to give me a gift.”

“But of course!” Mandarin beamed proudly, his long tail lashing behind him in excitement. “It is for the prize at the end of our date! Oh, and here is your blind-fold. Our date is filled with surprises! We will travel in the Fist Rocket 3, which Sprx has generously agreed to let us borrow! I asked him courteously.” Several hours earlier, Sprx had been on the ground with Mandarin pulling hard on his tail and threatening to courteously remove it. It was still a vast improvement over his former leadership style. “We will leave as soon as you are ready! I have already packed a lunch.” He produced both blind-fold and lunch basket from behind the display case and held them out to Chiro, smiling eagerly for approval.

“Oh, surprises?” Chiro was somewhat wary, first of all something told him Sprx did not in fact agree to have the Fist Rocket 3 borrowed; at the very least not courteously, that thing was his child as far as the red simian was concerned. Secondly of course was the fact that Mandarin said the date would be full of surprises, which… well, he liked Mandarin, really, he did, but from him, a surprise was usually an extra round of training because he wanted Chiro to reach his full potential. He held up the blindfold to inspect it a little, “Uh, well, I already grabbed a quick breakfast so, I don’t think there’s anything left for me to do.”

“Excellent!” Mandarin clapped his metal hands together in approval. “Then we will leave immediately.” He took Chiro by the hand and held their basket in his tail as he lead the way to the elevator, and then down the corridor to the Fist Rocket 3, where he insisted Chiro put on the blindfold and get comfortable in one of the chairs as he scampered up to the cockpit. It was soon after that when Chiro felt the lurch of launch and acceleration as they sped off towards whatever destination the former leader of the Monkey Team felt was the perfect date location.

“So uhh, do I get any hints as to where we’re going?” He asked as he tried to get comfortable, which was a little difficult in the small aricraft.

“You will seeeee!” Mandarin sang back from the cockpit.

Well, that was… comforting. He was getting increasingly nervous about where they might be heading. He knew deep down that Mandarin didn’t have any ill intentions planned, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t have decided to take them somewhere horrible that he would think of as a great idea. Like a cooperative survival exercise or something…

It was an undetermined amount of time later that Chiro felt them slowly descend, and Mandarin’s metal limbs clattered and clanked as he scurried back to the human. “We are close, now! That irritating Sprx insisted that I ensure no damage to his precious vehicle, or we would be able to land even closer. But this is alright as well! It is very scenic!” He gently tugged Chiro’s blindfold up to let him know it was okay to look now, and when they got to the door, the current leader of the Monkey Team saw that Mandarin had not been kidding: “Scenic” was certainly one way to describe the landscape around them, which seemed to be the inside of some vast crater, and a veritable jungle that echoed with the sounds of rushing water and wildlife.

“Whoa.” Chiro whispered as he took a step forward, looking at the incredible view before him. “Where is this? I didn’t feel us leave the atmosphere. Did we?” But he was fairly certain there was no place like this on Shuggazoom, at least none this size. Still, he had to admit, even though it was beautiful, there seemed to be a slight sense of something… wrong, about this place, although he couldn’t put his finger on it.

“This place is sacred.” Mandarin stated in a more subdued tone than his usual excitement. “It was once the sight of a volcano’s eruption, and the walls that were created by the explosion served to save it from the disasters that turned the rest of the Zone of Wasted Years into a wasteland. It was discovered by an order of monks who worshipped Quintessence many years later, and revered as a place where life triumphed over adversity.” He smirked up at Chiro. “This way…”

Chiro followed after his date, taking careful not to trip over the many roots and brambles that populated the ground. He had to admit, it was those moments like back on the rim of the crater that probably made him like Mandarin as much as he did, those moments where he became serious and subdued. It was during such moments that the orange primate lowered his defenses just a bit, and Chiro saw that he, in spite of everything, did actually care for the rest of the team, and him.

The path Mandarin lead Chiro on was overgrown, but his laser sword had already cleared the vegetation that would have impaired their progress, and it was not long before Mandarin whirled around and gestured excitedly at Chiro. “We are here! Are you ready?” After waiting almost three seconds, Mandarin swept aside one of the large leaves in their way, revealing their destination.  
“It is an ancient temple!” He gushed.

“Oh!” Chiro said, mildly surprised. Archaeology wasn’t exactly a specialty of his, but even he could see that the temple was indeed very old, as well as beautiful in that... old world sense. “How did you find a place like this?”

The temple was indeed beautiful, and it seemed less like the traditional cubes or pyramids, this one looked more like a bud on the verge of opening. “It was created by the monks I mentioned before.” Mandarin explained, as he lead the way to where they could presumably get inside. “It was always intended for the jungle to reclaim it, and it has. But before they left, they cultivated a treasure within to be claimed by others who revere life as they do.” He turned and spread his arms, clearly waiting for Chiro to connect the dots.

It took a few seconds but Chiro started to laugh a little, “Wait so… we’re going on a treasure hunt?” That was awesome! This was actually looking like it would be a really cool date! “But… why did you wait until now to tell anyone about it?”

Mandarin frowned and folded his arms, his tail lashing behind him again. “...I fully intended to tell my brothers of this place, but it was during a time of… tension that I discovered this place, and the timing would have felt… incorrect. During the disagreements with my leadership, I would spend more and more time away from them, and it was during such an excursion that I located this temple and learned of its origin. I wanted to bring it back to prove my worth, but when I returned to the Super Robot to request their aid in retrieving it, I was drawn into an argument and… the situation grew worse. It was only recently that reviewing my journal rekindled my memory of this place, and I realized the opportunity to enjoy a day with you AND procure a priceless treasure for our use in the battle with the Skeleton King!” By this point, they had reached the base of the blooming temple, and he gestured to a circle among the symbols that lined the wall. “Now, if you would be so kind as to use the Quintessence that they worshipped to open the door…?”

“Oh, so they worshiped the power primate, huh? I figured that was what you meant but, I’ve never heard it called the… Quintessence you called it? Is that like the fancy name for it?” Chiro knew that there had been a few religions and cults out there that worshipped it, but the only one he was at all familiar with were Antauri and Mandarin’s old teachers, the Veran Mystics. He summoned his power, and aimed at the circle, letting loose a small burst of power at it. “So… do you have any idea what this weapon is?”

“I do not know, but the inscriptions state that it will bring “Life to the Lifeless” and “Bloom as long as Life endures.” which sounds quite promising! I could not investigate it myself because I have never masted the Power Primate to the degree of yourself and Antauri, so this will be an adventure for both of us!” Mandarin lead the way into the temple, his eyes glowing red as he scanned ahead for danger or traps. It was unlikely the monks would be out to kill anyone, as that would be contrary to their entire philosophy, but they likely left ways to test for worthiness.

Chiro was a bit weirded out by that description, ‘Life to the Lifeless’ sounded a little ambiguous about whether it would be good or not. ‘Bloom as long as life endures’, was a little better however. He wondered how much of the temple would remain accessible, noting that these ruins often aged better than one would expect. “So… why do you like me anyway?” He never really had a chance to chat with Otto during the date, they were too busy having fun. Might as well do so with Mandarin.

The monkey in question had been scampering up one of the walls when Chiro innocently posed the question to him, and he lost his grip with a squawk, saving himself at the last moment with his laser sword as he slowed to a stop upside-down next to Chiro. “What?! I… Why do you ask?” He retracted his sword and hopped down, looking nervously at everything except for Chiro. “Oh look, a puzzle!” Mandarin spoke up suddenly before Chiro could reply, pointing to a floating orb that had different animal and plant symbols inscribed upon it.

He couldn’t help but smirk at Mandarin’s reaction. He knew the orange monkey wasn’t the best at dealing with feelings, but he hadn’t expected him to be so nervous about it. “I mean, I like you too, you know that right? I wouldn’t have agreed to date you otherwise.” He chuckled a bit as he looked at the orb, trying to make sense of it.

Mandarin was trying to focus on the puzzle, but Chiro’s comment had made him blush heavily and duck his head to avoid being seen. Instead of answering that, he leaped up and grabbed the orb to climb around it and examine the symbols. It seemed to be separated into three different sections, with thin grooves indicating where the sphere could be moved, and Mandarin triumphantly snapped his fingers when he felt he had the answer. “It is a matching puzzle! The animals and the plants are all from particular areas, and we have to match them up! Help me deduce the solution, Chiro!”

“Specific areas? So, basically we have to match them up based on where each of them is from. Well, that won’t be too hard…” Assuming he knew what the plants and animals were. He supposed this puzzle did somewhat make sense, it was life focused after all. He spotted a few that he knew, and began to point them out to Mandarin, hoping that together they knew enough to solve them. “Heh, maybe you should’ve taken Gibson instead, I bet he’d know all of this no problem.”

“Gibson is boring!” Mandarin snapped, and then cringed as he realized his harshness had leaked out again. “...I am sorry, Gibson is not boring. I have never understood him, and so it was easier to dismiss him rather than try to see from his perspective.” He followed Chiro’s suggestions and ran backwards on the sphere to turn it so that more of the symbols matched, and when they were in their proper place they glowed green.

Chiro smiled a bit, somewhat sad that Mandarin still had that anger in him, but also glad that he had gotten a lot better since he had first joined. “...I was really scared of you at first, you know?” He says as they stare at the orb.

Mandarin blinked down at him in confusion, and then pointed at himself. “...Of me?” Looking back, he could understand why that was, considering he was the one living in isolation away from his brothers, his fur a mess and his metallic parts showing signs of rust. The fact that he’d been nearly feral hadn’t helped matters either, but it had never occurred to him that Chiro would be genuinely afraid of him. “The truth be told, I was probably even more afraid of you. Here you were, living proof of my utter failure to lead my brothers, standing as a shining example of everything that I was not.” Mandarin gave Chiro a wry smile as he gave the orb another spin, lighting up more symbols.

Well, it was more than just that, to be honest, “Really? I figured you hated me at first for replacing you. I mean, Antauri used to talk about you when I first joined, how great a leader you had been, and I thought I had so much to live up to. And… I was afraid that I’d end up even worse than you, you know? That if you had been so great, what would happen to me? I mean, I was, and still kind of am, just a kid who got lucky.” He set to work trying to solve the puzzle.

The orange monkey actually chuckled at that, giving the human a fond smile. Between his agility and Chiro’s directions, soon almost all of the puzzle was glowing, and with one final flourishing spin at the very top, Mandarin leaped backwards off of the top of the orb and landed next to Chiro. Now complete, the orb shimmered and transformed into a map of Shuggazoon, as it had been before much of it had been reduced to a wasteland. Mandarin sighed and glanced up at Chiro. “Puzzles and games and competitions of all kinds, I have never had much difficulty excelling at anything I put effort into. I had thought that leadership would just be another challenge to master, but my brothers are far more complicated than any game or riddle. I served them poorly as a leader; you have already surpassed the standards I have set.” The glowing map of the planet shone more brightly, and the door on the other side of the room opened with a slow rumble.

“Thanks.” Chiro is about as sincere as one can be when he says it, and looks at the orange monkey fondly. “So… I’ve got a question for you, it might sounds a little silly but uh…” He glances at the large brows and mustache unique to the former leader, “Why did you decide to grow your hair out? I mean, the others always have their face hair nice and trimmed and stuff. Are you the only one who can do it? ...Not that I don’t like it! I’m just curious.”

Mandarin reached up and contemplatively stroked his own face-fur. “...I honestly do not know. It grew during my… time apart from the others, and I did not feel compelled to shave it down evenly when I rejoined them. I presume they can grow their fur out as well, they simply declined to do so.” He shrugged, though he himself wasn’t certain. He was different from the others, he just didn’t know if that was down to even the follicles of his hair.

“Heh, well I do like it, it makes you look, I don’t know how to put it… mature?” He gave Mandarin a pat on the head and made his way over to the door, peeking inside the other room.

Mandarin swayed on his feet for a moment, briefly overcome by even that slight friendly contact from the one he admired so ardently. The next room seemed to be more of a narrow corridor than a chamber with no apparent traps or tricks, so the two of them proceeded cautiously until they felt a low rumble underneath their feet, and turned to see the stones nearest to the entrance of the room falling away. “A pit trap? What does that have to do with life?!” Mandarin sputtered as they raced towards the exit.

Chiro wasn’t sure either as they raced along, “Uh… it’s a challenge to not die maybe? Or maybe this is just because the temple is really old!” Either way, it didn’t matter, they were easily fast enough to make it, albeit left panting afterwards.

The distant splashing noises drew their attention to what the rumbling had concealed: The deep pool of water beneath the floor, where the stones had fallen. Inscribed on the walls below where the floor had been where images of falling rain, and as they watched a mist descended from above to freeze in place and become the new floor. “...Oh, the water cycle. I still say it is dumb!” Mandarin insisted, folding his arms petulantly.

“Weird. And yeah, I agree, these monks were kind of stretching it.” To say that this was confusing was an understatement, although Chiro supposed he had seen worse. Indeed, the exit before them wouldn’t budge, and he guessed they had to descend down to get where they needed to be.

Mandarin hesitated at the edge, glancing at Chiro and then down at the frozen water before gingerly extending his hand to the team’s leader. “May I help you down?”

He took Mandarin’s hand without a second thought, as he had many times before during missions, but… now it felt somewhat different. It felt really nice. And he gripped it tight as he lowered himself down with Mandarin’s help.

Between Mandarin’s dexterity and his energy sword, Chiro had a relatively easy time climbing down the wall, and soon they were both carefully testing their weight on the ice. As it seemed to support them safely, Mandarin took a few experimental steps forward, and then began to shift his weight to slide from side to side, and then he was skating on the smooth ice with ease, smiling in surprised delight.

“Uhh…” Chiro, however, could not say he was quite as skilled as Mandarin. He could skate, sure, when he had actual skates on. With just normal shoes, it wasn’t quite so easy, and he had trouble keeping balance as he stepped along.

Mandarin noticed his predicament, and was soon sliding against him, with one hand on Chiro’s hip and the other on his back to carefully steady him as Mandarin propelled them along the ice. “It is all right, Chiro.”

The leader did his best to keep himself steady, even with his… well his boyfriend’s... hands steadying him.He laughed a little bit, “Thanks Mandarin, you’re good at this.” He smiled at the other as they made their way across.

The orange monkey preened in self-satisfaction as he helped his boyfriend to the exit, and into the chamber beyond. “I am quite good at anything I put effort into, as I have said.”

Chiro laughed, “Okay don’t get too cocky mister.” He had to admit though, the date was going pretty well, better than he had expected.

The room beyond the floor of ice and water was a much larger chamber, with a dirt floor and round, smooth walls that Mandarin would have had trouble climbing. They both looked around for any clues as to how to traverse this chamber, and it was Chiro who discovered the small altar with a hard, round object within. “But how do we utilize it?” Mandarin puzzled, glancing at the small object, and then the dirt floor.

“Uh… maybe we plant it?” Chiro guessed as he peered at the dirt floor. “I mean worst comes to worst we just dig it up again, right?”

“Ah!” Mandarin clapped his metallic hands together, and scampered out of the chamber, then returned quickly with a sheet of ice he had carved out of the floor. “And we can use this for water!” He said excitedly, holding the ice up high as Chiro dug the hole and buried the seed before Mandarin used his energy sword to melt the ice and water the seedling. For a few moments they stared hopefully at the mound and waited, before a tiny green bud popped up and showed two flowers. Mandarin frowned at it; “Perhaps we need more wa-” Whatever he was going to say next was lost as the plant suddenly exploded with vines, leaves and branches, gently picking the two of them up off the ground and quickly lifting them towards the ceiling, where the next doorway awaited them.

Chiro had honestly been surprised that it grew so fast in the first place, when the bud popped up. Last time he checked, most plants took a couple of days to pop out like that. Of course, it quickly became clear that it was not a normal plant when it burst out of the ground at such high speeds. He yelped as they rocketed up, grabbing on to Mandarin as a means of support, still clinging to him a bit when they came to a stop.

Mandarin found that their rapid ascension was a distant secondary concern to the fact that his face was now firmly pressed against Chiro’s chest, and all he could smell was the scent of his crush and leaves, as well as being acutely aware of the beating of the human’s heart. When Chiro gingerly regained his footing to look around at the room they had been grown up to, Mandarin remained with all five limbs firmly wrapped around Chiro’s torso.

“Uhhh…” He looked down at the orange monkey still hugging onto him tight, smiling a bit. “Thanks Mandarin, but I… don’t think carrying you would work through the whole temple. Plus, you guys are a lot heavier than you look.” Still, it did feel nice to be embraced like this…

The Orange Monkey pulled back, blinking his bright red eyes several times in surprise before he jumped back and began pacing nervously. “My apologies, Chiro! I was just… startled! We should continue!” The chamber they found themselves in now seemed to be a dome-shaped, with a stylized mural of the sun covering most of the ceiling, and no apparent means to proceed.

The human shook his head with a smirk. One would think that Mandarin, having admitted his feelings and all, would be less embarrassed by such things, but still it was… cute. Huh, maybe this is what he was like from the other’s perspective a lot of the time. “I liked the hug if it makes you feel better.” He added as they stepped inside, before staring up at the ceiling.

“...You did?” Mandarin asked meekly, his tail curled around his legs and his posture hunched. When Chiro confirmed that he had, Mandarin seemed to relax and explore the room with more gusto, building up speed to run along the walls using centrifugal force as he sought out clues. When he noticed the runes on the side of the walls, he paused to study then with careful scrutiny before reading out loud. “Only… master… quintessence… passage…” He muttered.

Chiro was kind of amazed at Mandarin’s physical prowess. He and Apollo always seemed to be having a silent competition as to who was stronger, and although the yellow monkey seemed to be the winner a large majority of the time, Mandarin was never far behind. Still, he was somewhat puzzled by the message. “So… I need to show my skills with the power primate, right? Or something like that.”

“Probably.” Mandarin conceded, and then backflipped his way back over to Chiro and looked upwards. “The center of the design is the most likely place. But it would require much power. Can you do it safely?”

Chiro laughed a little, “Of course I can!” He might have gotten better over the past few months, but he was still a bit too cocky at times for his own good. This was actually extremely dangerous, depending on how much energy was needed. Still, he took aim, and began to charge up a shot, essentially an overpowered normal attack of his.

Mandarin took a few cautious steps back, feeling a little awed by the display. All living creatures held the Power Primate within them, but there were precious few who could harness it like this, including him. That being said, it might not be enough if the requirements were for a “Master” of the Power Primate, as Chiro was still just a very talented beginner. But that was something Mandarin could help with, and he did so by carefully embracing Chiro once again. “I am going to channel my Power Primate into you in order to boost its effects!” He explained, trying to keep his face from lighting on fire as he focused on summoning his inner life energy and sending it into Chiro. For his part, Chiro would feel a strange sensation of warmth flowing into him, that moved like a living thing into his own body and filled him with a sense of satisfaction and peace.

Had Mandarin not explained himself, Chiro would be very confused right now. As it was, it felt extremely strange to be suddenly filled with warmth and contentment, in a way he had never felt before. As corny as it sounded, it kind of felt like he was feeling what Mandarin felt for him. Still though, now wasn’t the time to get all mushy gushy, they had an important artifact to find. He continued to charge his shot, far beyond what he would normally be capable of. When it finally reached what the boy felt like would be a breaking point, he yelled and let it loose, shooting right up into the center of the dome.

It impacted against the ceiling with a thunderous “BOOM”, and yet when the dust cleared and the two figured on the floor were panting from the expended energy, there seemed to be no change. Just as Mandarin was about to suggest a second shot, the center of the sun emblem began to glow a gentle golden light that spread across the whole design, filling the room with its radiance until they both had to shield their eyes. The intensity diminished after several moments, and when they felt it was safe to look again, there was a spiral staircase leading up to the new opening in the roof, and a green glow beyond. “I believe the prize we seek is there. Are you prepared, Chiro?” Mandarin asked, and then remembered himself and hastily disentangled himself.

Chiro was honestly too stunned to notice Mandarin’s hasty untangling, and simply nodded with a smile once he regained composure. “Let’s hope it’s everything you think it might be.” Honestly though, even if it wasn’t, Chiro would admit, this date was worth it.

They climbed the spiral staircase more slowly than they would have if they hadn’t just shot a substantial chunk of their life energy at a rock, but Mandarin still had the juice he needed to ascend more quickly and search for new traps. What he found, however, was no trap. “Chiro! You must see this!” He called down, as Chiro closed the gap and arrived at the top of the stairs as well. Every single inch of the room around them was covered in carvings of animals and plants, winding together in a web of life that was impossible to disentangle. All of it leading up to an altar, in the center of which was a bulb, from the top of which a sprout with two small leaves emerged, all glowing with the Power Primate. They approached cautiously, and when they touched the plant it shone more brightly, unfolding and revealing the treasure within: A jade statue of a grinning, stylized monkey.

“Whoa.” Chiro whispered, wondering firstly what the purpose of all of this was, but soon realizing it was all so beautiful that he didn’t care too much right now. He glanced over at Mandarin, grinning, “I’ve gotta say, this is a really awesome date so far.” He tilted his head as he turned back to look at the statue, “Does it do anything, though?”

Mandarin very gingerly picked up the statue to examine it, drawing on his training to try and sense its purpose. “...It contains vast amounts of the Power Primate! It seems to have been… absorbing them for eons. Even if we do not find its proper purpose, it would be much better to keep it in our care than allow the Skeleton King to learn of it. Would you like to carry it, Chiro…?”

“Huh, so… it’s kinda like a battery.” He inspected it as Mandarin held it out to him, but grabbed it. “Okay.” He takes it, and almost immediately drops it, grunting as he heaves it back up, “Whoa, warn me next time about how heavy it is! I’m not quite as strong as you guys, remember?”

“Sorry!” Mandarin apologized quickly, and helped Chiro to hold it with his much stronger robotic limbs. They turned towards the staircase when a glint of light caught their eyes and they turned to see that there was a crack in the walls. On further inspection, it was actually the seam to a hatch that opened more fully. “Oh, of course! It has to be able to absorb the energy directly from the jungle! I suppose that this would have saved us more time, but that wouldn’t have felt… proper, would it?” They peered down to the jungle far below from the top of the bud-like temple, and Mandarin’s rocket pack popped out. “Chiro? May I slowly escort you and the...  idol to the ground?” He offered his hand.

Proper or not, it would have saved them time, although Chiro supposed it wouldn’t have been as much fun. He smirked at Mandarin and took his hand, “Just don’t go treating me like a maiden or something.”

“Try to avoid swooning in my arms.” Mandarin teased him, smiling warmly as he shifted Chiro to carry him bridal style while Chiro carried the idol in his lap, and Mandarin leaped out of the opening to activate his jet pack on lower power, only slowing their fall to a safer descent as the jungle beneath them grew closer. After that it was a matter of finding their old path (Which had already started to get overgrown once again) and making their way to the Fist Rocket 3. A check around the ship to make sure nothing had stowed away and that all was working properly, and they were ready to lift off and head back to the Super Robot with their precious cargo in Chiro’s grasp.

Chiro was a bit uncomfortable in his seat, trying to find a good position while carrying the heavy idol wasn’t easy but… yeah, it was worth it as he glanced up at the orange monkey flying the ship. “Hey, Mandarin?” The former leader glanced back at him as they flew along, “Thanks, this date was pretty cool.”

Mandarin’s curious expression turned into one of the most open smiles Chiro had ever seen on the former leader. “You are most welcome, Chiro! Did I not promise you it would be? ...And thank you for giving me the chance.”

“No problem. I um… well, I look forward to the next one. Maybe I’ll plan it.” He would like to see if he knew Mandarin as well as he knew him.

The orange monkey laughed at that. “Don’t get ahead of yourself, Chiro. There are still four more dates to get through, and you cannot play favorites just yet.” Mandarin could have suggested that he was already Chiro’s favorite by virtue of giving him a priceless gift and an unforgettable day, but he was determined not to sabotage his relationship with Chiro or his beloved brothers.

“I know! I’m thinking the same thing about Otto. I just think it’s only fair that I plan for the next ones.” Honestly, he enjoyed both dates a lot, just in different ways. Sort of like how his teammates themselves were different. “By the way Mandarin… do you think you guys will start dating? The rest of the team I mean, I don’t see any reason we all can’t date each other.”

Mandarin was silent for a little while before he spoke up again. “...Some things take time, Chiro. I have no doubt that Otto and Gibson will fumble their way into a romance, and Sprx and Apollo will likely rekindle their romance. But beyond that, I couldn’t say.”

Chiro nodded. He had been wondering, not only because of them but, well, from the way Antauri talked about him, he was pretty sure that the second in command once had a crush on Mandarin. Oh well, Mandarin was right, it would be a matter of time. For now, he was just glad to head back for the day.

The flight back was peaceful, and it was a with a sigh of contentment that they reattached to the Super Robot and made their way back, Mandarin fetching the display case from the storage room and the two of them placing the idol within to grin at everyone in the common room. Once the display case was carefully secured to prevent any damage or undue movement, it seemed that the date was officially over, and an awkward moment rose as they tried to figure out how to say goodnight. Mandarin shuffled his feet and looked at everything except Chiro, but eventually he looked up at him and give him a nervous smile. “...You asked me before what it was that I loved about you? There is too much to name, and I could not list it all without sounding cliche. Your traits each come together like the colors of a rainbow and make something greater than the sum of their parts. And that is what you have always been to me. A rainbow in the dark.” Impulsively he reached out, took Chiro’s hand, and planted a kiss before scurrying away to his own room in embarrassment.


	7. Massage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so a little while guys, here's the next chapter

Chiro blushed at the compliment and kiss Mandarin had given him, it was so sweet, and kinda… gay. Then again he was dating all 6 of his male teammates at once, so he wasn’t exactly one to talk. Regardless, he soon went down to the kitchen to grab dinner, emerging from the elevator with a smile, having decided that this plan was probably the best move he could have possibly made. He happened upon Sprx and Antauri as he put together a large sandwich for his dinner, being rather hungry after the little adventure he had today. “Oh, hey guys.”

Antauri smiled politely at Chiro, he himself having a cup of tea for the evening. “Hello Chiro, I take it you had a pleasant time with Mandarin, judging by the artifact you two recovered.” Indeed, even Antauri was intrigued by it, although Mandarin seemed loathe to have any of them touch it at the moment. He supposed they could wait a few days before truly inspecting it, let Mandarin have his time to enjoy it as a token of their first date.

“Okay, I gotta know: What does Orange and Scary consider the perfect date?” Sprx asked, smiling as he leaned on the table, his tail lashing slowly behind him, and forming a heart-shape when Chiro glanced his way. He was more than a little annoyed about Mandarin strong-arming him (literally) into giving up the Fist Rocket for the day, but he refused to use Chiro to settle their tiff. He’d get back at Mandarin in his own way.

A roll of the eyes met Sprx’s flirting, Chiro was growing immune to the weaker attempts it seemed, “He was fine. I mean, okay, it wasn’t a traditional date, but I had fun. We went exploring and found that artifact, he said he had spotted the place a little while ago and wanted to do it with me.” The teen left out the part where Mandarin had actually been keeping the discovery a secret for a while now, and started to eat his sandwich.

Antauri seemed a little suspicious, but decided to leave it there for now, if he wanted to ask anyone, it would be Mandarin, who was still up in his room for now. Indeed, the former leader seemed to have squirreled away for the evening, almost as if to bask in a post date glow. Antauri was tempted to ask if they got up to anything... lewd, during their date, but felt he knew Chiro better than that, and that the answer was no, and that Mandarin was simply unused to affection and happiness in general.

“That’s it? Mandarin was practically floating in mid-air on little hearts! All you did was explore a temple? Huh…” Sprx rubbed his chin in contemplation. “...Mandarin’s tastes run even stranger than I thought if that’s his idea of a really perfect date.”

Chiro only gave a happy shrug as he chewed his food, swallowing a few moments later. “Should we do the next roll tonight or tomorrow morning?” He was honestly kind of eager to go on his next date.

Antauri smiled happily, “Well, tonight would give the recipient more time to plan, so that would be more polite I believe.”

Sprx closed his eyes, crossing all of his fingers as well as his legs. “Come oooooon lucky number three!”

“The dice are in the main room Sprx, it is a bit early to be doing that.” Antauri smirked, a bit amused by his teammate’s antics. “And I do believe we should ensure that the whole team is there when we roll, just in case.”

Chiro nodded as he took another bite, “Lemme inish irs.” He said around a mouthful of sandwich, blushing when he realized how silly he sounded. He gulped, “Let me finish here first okay, I’m kinda starved.”

The pilot monkey untwists his body and tilts his head. “Wait, I thought Mandarin packed you a big lunch! Didn’t you guys eat that?”

“Well yeah, but it was kind of exhausting, and I only had a small breakfast before we went out if I’m being honest.” Chiro explained, finishing the last bites of his sandwich, “Besides, it’s kinda late, I’d normally have had dinner a few hours ago.”

When Chiro had finished, the other monkeys were assembled in the usual meeting room, minus Mandarin, who was still hiding in his room and fretting about the impression he had left with Chiro. The rest of the team waited with baited breath as Chiro retrieved the dice and made the fateful roll.

The dice skittered to a halt on the edge of the table, almost having fallen off. The number it had landed on? 2.

Antauri smiled brightly. “Well, Chiro, it would appear I am to be the next one to date you.” A much calmer reaction then Mandarin, to say the least. Outwardly at least, inside Antauri was cheering as loudly if not louder than his orange teammate had.

Sprx snapped his fingers in disappointment, Apollo sighed, and Gibson quietly glared at the dice that had decided this would not be his turn, but they dutifully gave Antauri a light round of applause for his luck, each of them thinking furiously how they could impress Chiro in their own way when their turn came up at last.

Otto, meanwhile, seemed rather happy for his teammate, “Cool. What’s your plan Antauri? For Chiro’s date I mean.”

Antauri tsked his teammate with a smile on his face. “Now now, Otto, you and Mandarin got to surprise Chiro. I believe I should be afforded such a chance too, should I not?”

Otto nodded happily, understanding completely, having immensely enjoyed the look of surprise on Chiro’s face when he unveiled his plan. “Well, good luck then!”

Apollo approached Chiro and gently tugged on his sleeve to get his attention before jerking his thumb towards one of the other rooms. “Hey, you looked a little ragged after your… temple adventure, I guess? I figured you could use a massage if you were interested.”

As Antauri and the others chatted, Chiro paused at the offer. On one hand, Apollo had given him a few massages before, apparently having received a little training on the matter while with his ‘Master Offay’. On the other hand, Chiro now had a different light through which he saw those offered massages, “Uh, would that be fair to the others?”

“Sprx and Otto got to play video games with you yesterday.” He pointed out, deliberately keeping his body language as innocent as possible by glancing in the other direction and leaning away from Chiro.

“Well…” Chiro seemed to be having trouble making up his mind as he glanced over at the others. After all, videogames were pretty different from a massage.

Otto seemed to have overheard, and approached the two. “Well, I think it’s okay. Just as Apollo doesn’t break the rules or anything.”

“We have rules?” Apollo asked, before blinking and flailing. “Oh! Those! Jeeze, Otto, of course I’m not going to break those rules!”

Otto laughed a little at Apollo blanking for a moment, “Then I think it’s fine! And I bet the rest of the team is too!”

Chiro would have said that Otto was a lot more generous than the rest of the team, but Gibson sighed and stepped up. “I… suppose it is only fair to allow it, as long as there is no inappropriate touching in this massage of yours Apollo.”

“Give me _some_ credit.” Apollo insisted, and gently linked his hand with Chiro’s to lead him to the adjacent room.

“Ya know, you could go with them…” Sprx suggested, having crept up behind Gibson and given him a suggestive smile. “Me and Otto both spent time with Chiro yesterday, and I’m sure you have at least one thing of lotion in that arsenal of yours…”

Gibson seemed to sputter a bit at what Sprx was implying, “I-I do not use my tools for such frivolous things.” Sprx gave him a look that said he didn’t believe him, but Gibson ignored him, “Fine, I will go as well, if only to stop your foolishness.”

Sprx gave Gibson a light slap on his rump to encourage him and proceeded to saunter off, his mind busy planning his own date with Chiro. ...and maybe Gibson, considering the uptight monkey had a cute butt when he paused to consider it.

In the room, Apollo had politely turned away so that Chiro could strip down to the level of undress he was comfortable with, as Apollo adjusted the settings on his metallic arms to ensure they would not accidentally injure the boy when he went to work.

Chiro took off his sweater and pants that he normally wore most of the time, after kicking off his shoes, they were part of his old school outfit. He honestly didn’t wear much else, he wasn’t very into fashion. That left him in his t-shirt and boxers as he sat down on the bed, feeling more uncomfortable than he usually was in this situation.

Gibson knocked at the door a few moments later, opening it as he did so, “I hope I’m not disturbing anything Apollo, I just thought I might be able to help as a doctor. I’m not a chiropractor or the like, but I might be able to assist.”

Apollo was genuinely surprised that Gibson would do something so forward like this, but like the rest of the team he was determined not to let jealousy threaten their new arrangement, so he chuckled and gestured to Chiro. “We’re not exactly doing surgery here, but I’d love to have you help if Chiro is okay with it.”

Chiro nodded, figuring it would be a little less awkward if it wasn’t just him and Apollo letting their emotions stew. “I mean, unless you’re going to use your drills on me.”

“Why, Chiro.” Gibson acted mock offended, “I would never!”

“Actually, if you don’t turn them on, you could use them like rollers.” Apollo pointed out, making a rolling gesture with his hand to demonstrate.

Gibson considered that, “Hmm, you might have a point there.” He activated them, his hands transforming.

“Uhh, that’s safe, right?” Chiro asked, not sure he was comfortable with the weapons being so close to him.

“Why of course, I have total control of them Chiro.” Gibson smiled gently, as if he wasn’t talking about using a pair of large drills that he regularly used to shred formless to massage him.

“Alright, let’s get started!” Apollo declared, and hopped up on the table to sit between Chiro’s feet, picking up one bare foot in his warm, metallic hands and began to tenderly rub it, starting from the balls and working his way to the tips of the toes, then back down to the heel and up his calves.

Gibson decided to start work on the other foot, doing the same motions as Apollo for the most part, deciding he’d use his drills made rollers later on.

Chiro, in the mean time, sighed in pleasure as his sore feet were worked on.

“You know,” Gibson muttered a bit, “I know why human feet aren’t opposable like our own, evolutionary reasons, but I can’t help but feel a bit sorry for you sometimes Chiro, they can be very useful.”

Apollo just chuckled, then a metaphorical light bulb went on over his head as he had an idea to capitalize on that factoid. He hopped up, and then stepped on Chiro’s calf with one leg, carefully keeping his balance as he added the weight of his partly-metal body to the dexterous digit of his organic foot, and slowly made his way up to squeezing Chiro’s thigh, though he carefully kept away from the young leader’s rump.

“Oh that feels so good.” His legs were the most sore after the long day with all the walking and climbing he had done, although his arms were a close second, though those he could take care of on his own for the most part.

Gibson smirked and continued to work on Chiro’s feet, trying not to think of the many ways he could use his dexterous feet later on on Chiro.

When he’d finished thoroughly rubbing Chiro’s left leg, Apollo took a few steps back and started working on his right leg. He glanced backwards to ensure that Gibson’s attention was focused on Chiro’s feet, and then blatantly stared at Chiro’s back, trying to keep his thoughts pure as he worked his way slowly up to the human’s glutes.

“Thanks you two, my legs were pretty sore.” He looks back at them, smiling a bit, looking very relaxed. “I don’t think I need my back done all that much so you can stop if you want.”

Gibson shook his head as he got up on the table, transforming his hands once more to use them as rollers. “It’s quite alright Chiro, besides, loosening up your back muscles will be very good for you.”

“He’s right, and you deserve the five star treatment! You got us that… idol thingy!” Apollo agreed, jumping over Chiro’s back to land at his side and pick up his right arm, rubbing his metal thumbs outward to the tips of Chiro’s fingers from the center of his palm.

Chiro just groaned lightly and nodded, the treatment leaving him largely speechless. It was so relaxing, he might fall asleep right there.

Gibson, in the mean time used his drills as rollers, running them over Chiro’s back for now, setting them to a very low spin setting, as well as having them vibrate a little bit too.

Apollo laughed softly at the expression of bliss on Chiro’s face, rubbing his way up the human’s arm to massage his shoulders before he began working his way down the other arm, very lightly punching Gibson’s shoulder to show his approval.

The blue monkey smirked a bit, before returning to what he was doing, wanting to ensure that Chiro got a fantastic massage.

A few minutes later, they were all but done, Chiro appearing to be a pile of mush under their hands now. “Sooooo good.” He muttered as he did his best to not fall asleep.

“You need our help getting to bed, champ?” Apollo offered, petting the human’s sleepy head.

Chiro yawned as he got up, but shook his head, “Nah, gotta brush my teeth and junk anyway.”

“Just don’t slack off on your brushing because you’re tired.” Gibson said with a slight smirk, which earned him an eyeroll from Chiro.

“Aright, get some sleep soon, though! Knowing Antauri, he’s probably got something big planned for the two of you.” Apollo said confidently.

Meanwhile, Antauri was pacing back and forth in his room, trying not to panic over his lack of plans.


	8. Libido

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking forever, for that handful of you who actually enjoy this nonsense, finally got out of the slump I was in. Hope you all enjoy.

There were many things Antauri would consider himself good at; meditation, chess, acting as an advisor, cooking. It was a wide array of skills that he was proud of, but there was one thing that had always baffled him in the utmost. Romance.

Aside from a few very short crushes while he was at the Veran monastery, all of which his mentors had discouraged, it wasn’t something he had any experience with, or understanding of. Now here he was, trying to plan a date with Chiro.

“Think, what would Chiro enjoy…?” It was difficult, whenever he had an idea, he quickly dismissed it. He couldn’t do anything risky, something that Chiro might not enjoy; a first date was about impressions after all, and a bad one would be ruinous.

“An arcade…? Chiro seems to enjoy those.” No, that wouldn’t work, it had to be something he would enjoy as well. Chiro was close enough to him to know that he didn’t like video games, and was only trying to appease him; he doubted he’d appreciate it.

“A movie and dinner?” Urg, no. Far too traditional, especially after Otto and Mandarin had set such a high bar. He had to choose something that would be unique, but at the same time, not too forward. Going too fast would be dangerous. Not only might he scare off Chiro, but the other would doubtlessly be irritated as well.

He stepped in front of a mirror he had. Antauri honestly didn’t use it very often, the monkey wasn’t overly concerned with his appearance; thinking that as long as he looked presentable to the team, it didn’t matter. “Think Antauri. What would be a good first date?” He stood there, considering it for a few moments, wracking his brain, but finding nothing. He sighed slightly.

“Perhaps meditation would help…” He muttered as he walked towards his normal mat. He chose not to bother with the candles this time, it was already close to bed anyway, and it would be a waste to light then snuff them in the space of only an hour.

Antauri sat down, assuming the familiar pose and automatically beginning his deep breathing exercises as he cleared his mind and entered into a state of trance. Gradually, the Power Primate elevated him into the air, and he levitated peacefully for an indeterminate amount of time before his eyes snapped open and he smiled. “That’s it!”

A quick look at the clock told him that far more time then he had thought had passed, almost three hours. It looked like his sense of panic had interfered with his mental clock. He headed to bed immediately after a quick trip to the bathroom to clean himself, he had to get ready first thing tomorrow.

Chiro awoke with a start the next morning, and glanced around his room, not sure if he would be greeted with more flowers or a message. He didn’t see anything out of place, so he relaxed and rose into a sitting position to stretch his arms wide. He’d wanted to get up early, knowing that Antauri himself was an early riser, and didn’t want to keep him waiting. He glanced around again before he got dressed, still not sure how Mandarin had gotten in to leave him the flowers, and a little wary that one of the team might be lurking nearby. When he was satisfied that he was alone, he took a brief shower and dressed in his civilian clothes to go find Antauri.

He wouldn’t find anyone in the hall waiting for him either, a welcome change over all. Mandarin might be a bit… too affectionate, or at the very least too eager. Hopefully for Chiro’s sanity’s sake, he’d get better about that as time went on. As it was, he didn’t find Antauri until he got to the kitchen, where the black monkey was waiting with a small reading pad, looking up with a smile as Chiro came in. “Good morning Chiro, I take it you slept well?”

“Yeah! That massage Apollo and Gibson gave me really helped.” He smiled a little sheepishly. Chiro was trying to stay relaxed, but he couldn’t help but wonder if the relationship between himself and Antauri would change. He was the leader, but Antauri was his second in command and advisor, making him something of a mentor figure to Chiro. Would their lessons change because they were dating? What if they were meditating together and Antauri just floated over and kissed him? ...That didn’t sound so bad, actually.

Antauri appeared momentarily confused by what Chiro had said, before recalling that Sprx had mentioned something about that last night when he had asked where the three had gone. “I am glad to hear that. And those two would be the best at it; Apollo has mentioned that being in such fierce physical training over the years, he and his fellow trainees learned how to apply it to each other to help with knots. And, well, Gibson is a doctor.” He was mentally doing his best to stop himself from leaping to conclusions about them doing anything besides a massage, what with them touching Chiro so much.

He placed his pad down and watched Chiro walk over to the cabinets to start preparing his breakfast. “I would suggest against having too large a meal this morning, Chiro. I have prepared a lunch for us, for our date.”

“Oh, thanks!” Chiro was oddly flattered by this, still not quite used to being treated so thoughtfully. The Monkey Team was always kind to him, but they were all fairly self-sufficient, and so was he. To be doted on in this manner was a strange but not unwelcome feeling. It still made him want to smile every time one of the team said ‘Our date’. He combated the rising tide of warm and fuzzy feelings by eating a more simple meal of toast, glancing over at Antauri while the bread was heating up. “So… where are we going?”

Antauri’s smile seemed to almost, twitch for a moment, if Chiro didn’t know any better, before he started to speak. “I thought that having a picnic in the East Park would be rather nice. It is the best time of the year, we both enjoy being outdoors, and it is relatively peaceful while giving us a modicum of activities to do.” Chiro couldn’t, of course, hear Antauri’s desperate mental pleas for this to be met with approval. “Unless, of course, you would prefer to have it somewhere else.”

“That sounds great! It’ll be nice to just do something quiet and relaxing with you.” Chiro assured him, entirely honest. His date with Otto had been thrilling, and Mandarin’s date had been a great adventure, but he liked the idea of just spending time with Antauri. Would they hold hands? It had been really nice when he and Otto had held hands, but this would be in public.

“Good. Now you have about an hour before we need to head out, would you like to do anything before that?” He asked, still nervous about not having scheduled the whole day with Chiro like Mandarin had.

Chiro knew he was being presented with a golden opportunity here, but he wasn’t sure how to make use of it. Antauri was lowering his emotional walls and offering him a chance to be much less formal, and yet Chiro wasn’t sure what they could actually do. More to the point he didn’t know what Antauri would enjoy doing, and not simply do to please Chiro. He knew that Antauri liked to train and meditate, and while both of those things could be enjoyable, Chiro wanted to break new ground and reassure Antauri that they could didn’t have to stick to old routines and could explore this new relationship. What could he do that wouldn’t take too long, be peaceful enough for Antauri to enjoy, and yet let them spend time together…? Actually, he already needed some extra time to-

  
“Oh! I know!” Chiro looked triumphant as he lightly punched his open palm. “Could you help me sew one of my shirts? It got torn, but it’s otherwise nice and I wanted to wear it on our date.”

When Antauri agreed, Chiro decided to take a chance, and gingerly picked up his second in command to carry him back to his room. It felt strangely intimate, just holding him like this when Antauri had always been one of the most reliable, but formal of the Monkey Team. Would Antauri have let him hold him back before they started dating? Probably, considering that it turned out they all had feelings for him, but Chiro wouldn’t have dared to ask. It would have been humiliating if Antauri had refused and told him that such desires were ‘childish’ or something. So it felt like a strange triumph to just carry Antauri like this, to the point that even when they arrived at his bedroom, Chiro was reluctant to release the cyborg monkey. Antauri was dexterous enough to remain in his arms even as Chiro gathered the garment, the needle and the thread, and wound up sitting in Chiro’s lap as the two of them both worked to repair the small tears in the shirt.

Chiro mainly just wanted an activity that they could quietly enjoy together, but it was tenderer than he expected to hold Antauri like this. He didn’t want to distract him too much, since they were both holding pins and concentrating, but his free hand wandered down and began to gently pet the cyborg’s tail while they worked.

Antauri all but yelped as he was scooped up, not having been expecting it, even if Chiro hadn’t been at all rough about it. Not that it hadn’t happened before, but that was usually in combat situations, where he was already on his toes. It was strangely nice, Chiro’s grip soft in spite of the strength he knew the boy possessed, and the warmth that emanated from the young man was comforting. Still, he didn’t allow himself to relax more than slightly, and was more than able to help Chiro repair the shirt. “How do you tear this anyway?” He asked as they finished the first of the tears.   
  
Before he could say anything else, Chiro had idly began to play with his tail, and he let out a small noise of amused surprise, “Oh.” He chuckled slightly and glanced up at the leader of the team with a smirk, “You do realize I can feel that, right Chiro? You’re essentially just stroking a limb of mine.” ...Why did he have to say stroking? Now he had an image in his mind.

“I know.” Chiro assured him, blushing slightly. “I wouldn’t be doing it if I didn’t think you could feel it…” This was bordering on flirting now, but he had wanted to push the boundaries between them. He continued the gentle motion, since Antauri hadn’t suggested he wanted it to stop. They had gotten the rips repaired sooner than he thought, and now he was at a loss for what else to do. Then again, why did they need to do anything else? Shifting Antauri in his lap, he began petting him like a cat, blushing a little more deeply at the quiet intimacy of them being alone together. “I ripped it trying to take a shortcut.” He confessed, fearing the silence might be growing awkward for Antauri.

With the image pushed out of his mind as quickly as possible, Antauri continued to sew up the last of the rips, trying to not show how embarrassed he currently felt about how he was currently being petted. He was glad that he had finished by the time Chiro shifted and began to pet a bit more firmly, as he probably would have made a mistake otherwise. “I-I see… a shortcut. What for?” He asked, the second in command appreciating the break in the silence. It was moments like those when his thoughts would begin to crowd up on him, making it difficult not to make a motion or noise that might frighten Chiro off.

“I was just headed back from the city, and I was in a hurry. I didn’t take the path, and wound up going through a bush that was a lot thornier than I had thought it was.” He chuckled, more from nerves than actually amusement, and eyed the repaired shirt. Antauri and he had done pretty well, and it was much harder to see the stitches than he had feared. He set the shirt down and reached behind Antauri pet his way down the monkey’s back, down the length of his tail, and gently grasped the metal tip. His breathing got a little heavier. Antauri wasn’t the only one who’d noticed his use of the word ‘Stroking’. “Hey, Antauri?”

When Antauri looked up at him, Chiro couldn’t help but wonder if the monkey had somehow grown even cuter in the last few minutes. His large eyes seemed more innocent and curious than Chiro could remember, and it just make him even more eager to make the request. Chiro’s eyes felt magnetically drawn to Antauri’s mouth, wondering how his lips might feel. “...Could we kiss? I really wanna kiss you right now.”

It was only for a second that Antauri was silent, but to both of them it felt far longer than that, almost as if minutes had passed for them to appreciate the gravity of what had just been said, both of them panicking internally for different reasons.

“I… I am very flattered Chiro, but I think the others would… not appreciate it. Not that I mean to discount your affections, only that I think it only fair for you to at least go on a date with each of us first before you, um…” It was rare for Antauri to falter when talking, and especially as much as this. In fact, it was probably the first time Chiro would have heard him use ‘um’. Plain as day, Antauri was flustered. In fact, the second in command was fairly certain that if he did not have a solid reason to fall back on for his reason for not kissing Chiro, he would sound even less coherent.

Chiro’s face fell in disappoint, but he nodded in agreement. “Yeah, you’re probably right.” Even as he agreed, however, he raised one hand up to gently place it on Antauri’s cheek and tenderly traced his thumb across the primate’s lips. “Gotta be fair to everyone…” Except that he wanted to kiss Antauri _now_ when they were alone and it felt so intimate and right and he really, really wanted to kiss Antauri’s cute face and… but no. Chiro knew that leaders did not always get what they wanted, and he wouldn’t be a good leader or a good boyfriend if he was unfair to his team/boyfriends. So instead he lifted Antauri up and gave him a small kiss on his forehead, feeling slightly better for having done that small token of affection, and set Antauri beside him before the atmosphere got even thicker. “Well, the shirt is all fixed. Are you ready to go?”

It was at this particular moment in time that Antauri was glad that the dark color of his fur easily hid the skin on his face. Otherwise, Chiro might have noticed how brightly it was flushed. Not that he was hiding how awkward this was making him feel, but he didn’t exactly desire another method by which to make himself look the fool. Regardless, it was after a deep, quiet breath that Antauri nodded and got off the bed, careful not to stumble in the slight daze he was in, his forehead still feeling a slight tingle even though he knew that Chiro had done such things before. The context was different of course, which was why his body was reacting as such, but the fact didn’t provide much help at the moment. “I will go grab the basket from the kitchen. You can meet me down at the entrance of the robot.” Normally, he would have asked Chiro to help him with the basket, if only due to its bulk compared to his size. But he was silently hoping for at least a minute by himself to regain his composure.

Chiro nodded, not aware how much Antauri had been discombobulated, because he himself was a little hazy from the moment they had shared. “Alright, see you there.” He took several deep breaths once Antauri had departed, trying to wake himself back up and not think about kissing Antauri, or how nice he’d felt in his arms, or how soft his lips had felt… He gave his face a firm slap and that seemed to help a little bit. He tried a calming exercise, but that just reminded him of Antauri teaching it to him and so that didn’t help get his mind off of his current date at all. So he was still a little lost when he bumped into the yellow monkey in the hallway. “Oof! Oh, sorry Apollo.”

Said yellow monkey nearly stumbled himself, having not been expecting Chiro to collide with him, having spotted the boy several feet before hand and figuring he wouldn’t suddenly turn into him. “Geeze Chiro, you okay?” He said, shaking his head a bit. It was still weird sometimes to Chiro that the yellow monkey, who was both the strongest of the team in pure force, and the one who had gotten him into proper shape when he joined the team, was probably the only one on the team, even including him, whose voice was at all feminine; to the point where he had to ask Otto during his first day, just to make sure. Which was smart of him, considering how often making fun of it earned Sparx a bruise of some kind. “You just wake up from a nap or something?” He asked, noting how dazed he looked.

“No, no, I was just… hanging out with Antauri.” He explained weakly, hoping Apollo wouldn’t connect the dots. They hadn’t kissed because it wouldn’t have been fair to the others, but even the near miss had Chiro feeling guilty. Which was silly, he knew, and Apollo would get a chance for a quiet moment with him just as easily as the others, but he couldn’t help the nagging thought that he’d committed some kind of sin. He also wasn’t sure if he could hold out for three more days before kissing someone. “It got a little… tense.” He confessed at last, his sheepish smile assuring the boisterous bruiser that it wasn’t the bad kind of tension.

Apollo was about to ask why he was acting like he was, not exactly suspicious per say, he knew Chiro would be far more out of sorts if anything serious had happened between the two of them, but curious enough that Chiro’s answer only made him want to ask for more information. “Tense, huh? In what way?” Apollo trusted Antauri with most things, but ever since they had all started dating Chiro, and Apollo actually bothered watching for the signs, it was pretty clear the black monkey had a serious crush, which Apollo wasn’t sure the normally chaste second in command was prepared to handle.

“...Wealmostkissed.” Chiro finally blurted out in a rush, embarrassed and yet excited at the same time. A part of him was worried about what Antauri would say if he knew that Chiro was telling the first person he saw about what they had nearly done together, but Chiro wanted Apollo's input on what had happened. “But we stopped because we realized it wouldn’t be fair to the rest of you, you know because I’ve only been on three dates so far. And now I kinda can’t stop thinking about kissing.” The human abruptly averted his eyes when he realized he was staring at Apollo’s lips now.

The fighter’s mouth almost seemed to gape for a short moment, before he cleared his throat, “Uh… okay, wow.” He ignored the fact that Chiro was staring at his face, and tried to think of some way to help. “I mean… how did you deal with it when you were first dating Jinmay? I know you two were going out for a little while before you tried kissing for more than a quick peck.” Apollo himself wasn’t quite sure if he had any advice of his own. Like, yeah he thought about it some of the time… but he wasn’t a hormonal teenager.

“I didn’t feel like I wanted to kiss her as much.” Chiro offered somewhat lamely. It was hard for him to articulate exactly why he hadn’t wanted to kiss Jinmay as much as he wanted to kiss his team members. “I was usually just happy when we were just hugging or holding hands or just being together. When I’m alone with you guys, I get way stronger urges.” After a couple more moments of blankly staring at Apollo, he blurted out. “I really wanna do ‘stuff’ with you guys.”

Due to the lighter fur color, the blush Apollo now had was slightly visible, although he quickly did his best to move on. “Okay, you don’t need to be so loud.” He smiled awkwardly, “I mean… it’s me, Sparx and Gibson who are left. I’ll try and talk to them about, maybe seeing if you don’t need to wait another 3 days before you can do more than hug us? Until then, uh… well your door has a lock, right?”

The human leader of the Hyper Force wondered if he could actually die of embarrassment. “Yep!” He squeaked out, wondering if he could actually flee from this conversation with the shredded remnants of his dignity intact. The problem was not that he didn’t want to hear more, the problem was that he far more intrigued than he should be at what Apollo was proposing. “That… that would be great, actually. Just so long as you’re all happy with whatever you guys decide on!” He glanced aside, wondering if Antauri was waiting on him, and if he would come looking for him. It would be just the perfect cherry on the situation if he stumbled into the middle of this conversation. “Well, I gotta get going!”

Apollo quickly called after Chiro to enjoy his date with Antauri, but the teen was already around the corner before he could finish his sentence.

As Chiro had been trying not to obsess too much about kissing and… more, Antauri had also encountered a teammate as he prepared for the picnic. Although he had managed to not look like a mess by the time he had started to check the basket to ensure that everything was inside that they would need, Mandarin walked into the kitchen. Not that he announced himself or the like. If it wasn’t for the fact that Antauri could sense his teammates on a basic level, he wouldn’t attribute the slight hesitation of the monkey who paused when seeing him to the former leader. Indeed, when he looked up and back from the basket, Mandarin didn’t look angry as he might have expected him to be in this situation, just slightly annoyed and more so nervous. Apparently, he hadn’t been expecting to see Antauri in here.

Mandarin wanted to say “Have a good time” and be done with it, but that would seem like he was telling Antauri to leave immediately, and he wasn’t trying to be rude. And he was trying very hard not to be jealous, focusing instead on the fact that he’d left a good impression on Chiro than feel threatened by the idea that other people would have fun with him. As he pondered his options, he noticed that Antauri looked nervous, and misattributed it to his presence alone. Fearing that any further silence would escalate the awkwardness, he greeted him. “Hello, Antauri… Do you need anything? I was going to start making lunch.”

“Oh. No, but thank you for the offer Mandarin. I was about to leave, I just needed to ensure that everything that I would need is in here.” Although the situation was a bit more awkward than usual, dealing with Mandarin was something Antauri was familiar with. The ex-leader was business first, and it showed in conversation, as he rarely beat around the bush; Antauri returned the favor usually. The fact that Mandarin didn’t seem angry or the like with him, in spite of how he had been acting earlier in the week about Chiro, did actually make the black monkey happy, and more willing to talk a bit. “I gathered the impression that Chiro greatly enjoyed your date yesterday. Mine is not quite as… impressive in scale as yours I’m afraid, but I hope he enjoys the change in pace.” Although Mandarin’s ego was large, he didn’t take most compliments that well, finding most of them to be empty praise to appease him when someone wanted something, not helped by Sparx’s habit of doing just that. As such, Antauri was careful to be somewhat subtle with his.

The orange Monkey was indeed unimpressed by attempts at flattery, but he saw Antauri’s compliment as a peace offering, which he accepted. “You have always thrived in serenity, Antauri. Chiro learned well from your teachings. I do no doubt he will… enjoy your company.” The last sentence sounded a bit forced, but Mandarin was sincerely trying to return the compliment. But he couldn’t help but remember that he had accused Antauri of cradle-robbing not long ago, and abusing his position as Chiro’s mentor to gain his trust unfairly. He kept telling himself that Antauri was not that type of person, and- Wait, was the kitchen getting warmer? Why did he feel flushed all of a sudden? He sniffed the air, and realized he was reacting to an elevated dosage of pheromones. He narrowed his eyes and sniffed more carefully, and picked up traces of Chiro’s scent, and Antauri’s lingering excitement. “...Antauri, what have you been up to this morning?”

“Thank you, Mandarin.” The black monkey had nodded with a polite smile and turned back to the basket, and although good, their hearing wasn’t to the point where they could hear someone lightly sniff the air from across the room. They were monkeys, not dogs. As such, he was somewhat surprised by Mandarin’s question, and froze a moment. Not long, but enough that he knew Mandarin would have noticed. He had one of either two options, he could lie, hoping that Mandarin was being paranoid, and knowing that he was one of the few people in existence that Mandarin both knew closely and could lie to his face. On the other hand, there was a good chance that Mandarin had noticed something amiss, or he would find out later for certain. It wasn’t that he was afraid of the orange monkey, more that he didn’t want this tenuous peace he had to be shattered. Here was hoping the truth wouldn’t lead to that. “Chiro asked me to repair his shirt for him, and he sat with me as I did. He considered it an early start to our date.” He omitted the almost kiss, thinking that including such a detail would only hurt the situation.

“Indeed?” Mandarin inquired, folding his hands behind his back and walking closer, until he was within a yard of the second-in-command, and began to sniff the air more obviously. “Because the scent of your pheromones suggests that you found this activity quite _stimulating_.” Mandarin wanted to call him out on whatever duplicitous activity he’d done, but he wasn’t quite sure what he would be accusing him of; the scent said that Antauri had been very excited, but there were no other signs that they had done ‘things’ together. The orange Monkey frowned suspiciously at Antauri, not willing to actually suggest he’d done something dishonorable, but not willing to let it pass that easily.

After a moment of contemplation, Antauri turned to Mandarin with a rather open smile, one he didn’t wear much around the other. “I did. Yes. Chiro began stroking my tail for a short time while I was sewing, unaware of the sensitivity of the area. I attempted to maintain composure, but gently told him to stop after a few moments and informed him of the significance of the act. So, yes, your suspicions were indeed partially correct, and I had intended to not disclose these details with you, as you are likely considering berating me for, as I did not wish to have an unpleasant encounter with you over an act I consider to be neither sexual, nor intended on mine or Chiro’s parts.” It was rare that Antauri said so much at one time, and even rarer for him to be so blunt when doing so, but when he did, it was always an interesting situation. He had, of course, not mentioned the almost kiss, but that was less out of a desire to keep things between him and Mandarin peaceful and more… he still wasn’t quite sure how he could talk about the situation without looking like a fool.

Mandarin’s ruby red eyes had begun to glow at the first glimpse of Antauri’s smile, thinking that his team-mate was mocking him, and only after several moments did he start to see the expression as an attempt to placate him. After Antauri finished his explanation, Mandarin closed his eyes and hid their glow, inhaling deeply before he spoke again. “...I apologize for assuming the worst. I should have realized you would never… do something.” He opened his eyes, but would not meet Antauri’s gaze. “...I am well aware how unintentionally stimulating he can be.”

Antauri wasn’t exactly sure what Mandarin was referring to, but he chuckled slightly. “Well, I choose to look at it this way. I have waited… I would say approximately a year and two months, for Chiro, and I imagine you would say roughly the same. I can wait another three days before I find out how, ‘intentionally stimulating’, he can be.” He patted Mandarin on the shoulder as he grabbed the basket with his tail, “Although I can also tell you this. I am not entirely sure Chiro feels the same way. Be glad I have chosen a public location for this picnic.”

Mandarin felt his jealousy temporarily eclipsed by the reminder that the object of his affection was a hormonal teenager whose libido was probably getting stronger by the day. His wide-eyed expression of realization remained several minutes after Antauri had departed.

When Antauri arrived at the entrance to the Super Robot, Chiro joined him shortly afterwards, still looking flushed and embarrassed, but pleased to see him. “Ready to go?” He asked, his tone slightly too eager due to his desire to escape another awkward encounter.


	9. A Walk in the Park

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been over a year since the last update, been trying to turn my life around basically. Anyway, enjoy!

The walk to the park eventually required them to let go, but it had still been nice to feel connected to one another like that, as they made their way down the less-used trail through the wilderness outside the city, the small path used only by the person who was walking next to him when he didn’t feel like flying. But instead of making the trip more difficult, it provided an atmosphere of privacy and peace, perfectly suited to the date Antauri had planned for them. They walked in silence, enjoying the sounds of nature and the knowledge that they were alone and away from prying or jealous eyes.

On the way to the park, Chiro had been admittedly a bit nervous, mostly because he realized, as they let go as soon as they left the robot, that this was going to be something he’d have to keep relatively secret. Which was… kind of depressing. He didn’t care if he couldn’t tell anyone, but he also couldn’t be affectionate with any of them where other people could see. Then again… they did save the city so many times, that he could probably get away with it. Still, he’d keep it under wraps for now. Just enjoy the scenery, he told himself, as he took in the fresh air.

Antauri had been aware that the citizens of Shuggazoom might be… confused as to why their hero was acting so affectionate towards his team, but it hadn’t occurred to him that it would be a serious problem. To his knowledge, the Monkeys kept their visits to the city relatively rare, and Chiro’s main social circle was the team itself. So it wouldn’t be hard to hide what was going on, right? With that thought in mind, he was able to take in the atmosphere more easily than Chiro, observing the light through the leaves above and the songs of the birds.

“So…” Chiro said, trying to strike up a conversation. “What did you pack for our lunch?” He asked, even though it was still about an hour before they’d be eating he estimated. He wasn’t even that hungry yet. “I mean, you’re a pretty good cook, so I bet it’s not just, like, pb&j.”

It was here that Antauri hesitated and looked mildly chagrined. The night before, he had fought to maintain his calm and not be overwhelmed by the idea of actually going on a date with Chiro the following day. Meditation had helped somewhat, but he was still left with a surplus of nervous energy, which he had then poured into the making of overly elaborate dishes. He feared that Chiro might think he’d gone overboard when he took a deep breath and answered the question. “Tomato tarts with basil and eggplant, roasted mushrooms with red wine reduction, garlic pasta with roasted pickle slices and red peppers, and pumpkin stew with… most of the ingredients left in the vegetable drawer.” He paused and placed the basket in front of his face to hide his embarrassed expression. “...And crepes for dessert.”

Chiro’s mouth was agape at the halfway point, needless to say. Sure Antauri was a good cook, but he wasn’t a professional or anything. “How long did it take you to make all of that?” Not to mention the time it would’ve taken to clean all that up. Did he get any sleep last night? At all? “I-I mean, it sounds really good.” He says, embarrassed over how much Antauri had dedicated himself to this simple picnic… for him.

“It didn’t take me very long, I was just… eager to use my time productively.” Antauri admitted, which was more or less true. It took him less time than it would have taken a human, but he had gotten less sleep as a result. “I must confess, I was slightly apprehensive about our date today.”

“I… I understand. I mean, I have been a little bit, and I haven’t been the one planning them. That makes it way more stressful.” He remembers from back when he was dating Jinmay, how much he had strained over their first few dates. It got easier later on, but a new relationship meant new stress. “But… thanks a lot Antauri. It means a lot that you went through all that trouble.”

Antauri glanced away, then ventured a shy smile at Chiro, a blush evident on his usually serene face. “But of course, Chiro.”

The two kept walking for a little while afterwards, just enjoying the sights, Antauri occasionally pointing out a flower or the like that wasn’t common in the area. He wasn’t as knowledgeable about biology as Gibson, but botany was always a slight bit of a hobby of his. After about forty some odd minutes of enjoying the park, Antauri selected a spot and placed the basket down.  
  
“So… does this stuff have to be heated up?” Chiro asked, realizing how silly that sounded now that he said it.

“No no, Otto’s insulated basket has kept it optimal temperature.” Antauri assured him, handing him his own plate and setting the dishes down on the blanket, deftly adding rocks to the four corners to keep it neatly weighed down. He was hoping Chiro was hungry, because there was no way someone his size could eat this much by himself.

Indeed, it was a lot. Even as a teenager still going through puberty, it looked like too much to eat to Chiro. But it also smelled delicious from the moment the basket was opened, to the point where he swore he could hear his stomach, even though he hadn’t been hungry a moment ago. “So… bon appetite?”

“Bon appetite!” Antauri agreed, his tail curling behind him in amusement as they both dug in. Naturally, it was all excellent, and Antauri didn’t need to encourage Chiro to try anything. The soup went quickly, as did the tarts, followed by the mushrooms, and pasta was the point where they both admitted defeat and put it back, though Chiro found he still had room for the elaborate crepes.

“Ughhhhhh…” Chiro moaned as he slowly picked up the basket, swearing that his pants felt two sizes too small after that meal. “Too much. Too good.” He said, before laughing a bit. “Seriously, scale back next time. It feels like I’m gonna burst. It doesn’t help that it was too good to stop.”

Antauri chuckled and glanced away, clearly flattered by the compliments. “I’m just happy that I managed to please you, Chiro.” He spread his legs and his arms behind him, relaxing and trying enjoying the satisfaction of fullness and the pleasant company. Then he started to wonder what else they could do now. Taking a nap sounded nice, but not exactly date activity. He tried to gauge whether or not Chiro was feeling sleepy himself.

He was indeed, sort of tempted to let the tiredness brought on by eating so much, overwhelm him and drift off for a little while. But he also knew that wasn’t exactly A+ date material, and he himself was nervous of spoiling the date. So he picked himself up and stretched his arms, yawning a bit as he did. “So… maybe we should walk for a bit? I figure I should try and burn some of it off, hehe.”

“An excellent suggestion, Chiro.” Antauri stood up and brushed himself off just to get his fur settled, before he offered Chiro his hand to hold as they walked. The former leader of the Hyper Team felt simultaneously elated and calmed during their jaunt, as he enjoyed the excitement of holding hands with the object of his affections, and he got to enjoy the tranquil park and take the peace he felt around him into himself.

Although there was the occasional stare from other people in the park, no one seemed to have too much of a problem with the two of them, although Chiro figured that was probably because no one thought they were dating. After all, if they did… he imagined that at the very least, people would be taking photos or something. As it was, most people of Shuggazoom thought of him and the monkeys as a somewhat uncommon, but nice sight. It did make him think though, about how people would react if… or when, they found out. He tried to ignore the idea for now, just smiling down at his date. “You know, I figured your hands would be cooler, because of the metal and all. But they’re actually kind of warm. It’s nice.”

Antauri gave him a tender smile at that, and very gently squeezed his hand. “There was a time when I lamented the fact that I possessed arms and hands made of metal, Chiro. I felt that my inorganic parts separated me from the living world around me. Even after I came to terms with my body, I had to accept that I would never feel as a purely organic creature does. But right now…” He looked at their hands and then up at Chiro. “Right now I cannot imagine feeling closer to you, regardless of what I am made of.”

The young man shook his head, smiling, “I wouldn’t care if you were all metal Antauri, you’d still be the same monkey.” He paused, frowning slightly, “Well… I guess you wouldn’t… technically be a monkey anymore. But you know what I mean.” Chiro laughed a bit, embarrassed at his little flub. “I like you for who you are. Not what. It’s the same with the rest of the team.”

The look Antauri gave Chiro was beyond fond now. “You are most wise, Chiro. I am glad that you are our leader.” He decided that now was not the time to confess that he had had his doubts at first, they didn’t quite fit the current mood. And besides, Chiro had quickly proven himself many times over. Antauri felt that the team’s current status, with Chiro as leader and both himself and Mandarin in an advisory capacity, suited everyone much better. It was at this point that he noticed their meandering path had taken them to a small meditation garden, which he pointed out. “Would you be open to pausing for a moment? I must confess, I am somewhat flustered, and I would like to collect myself.”

Chiro snorted, brushing off the praise as Antauri being too nice to him, “Oh come on, anyone could say something like that. If that was all it took to be leader… well, Otto would probably be the best leader ever.” He laughed a little as they walked along, knowing that while the mechanic was skilled in many ways, leading probably wasn’t one of them. Still, the other’s request made him pause and look at him, then the garden, before nodding, “Oh, yeah. I’m sorry. I didn’t notice.” He wasn’t sure why the black monkey would be flustered, but he wasn’t going to argue.

Antauri gracefully leaped up onto one of the central rocks and folded his limbs into a familiar meditation position. Already he began to feel himself growing centered and more relaxed. He’d been overthinking, and Chiro was already making him giddy as they went about their date. Sinking into the state of calm he’d perfected over the years made him sigh in relief, but there had been a secondary motivation to his request. He cracked one eye open to look at the human. “Chiro, would you like to join me? I have something I’d like to show you.”

He was accustomed enough to seeing Antauri in that pose, that Chiro had stopped really watching him get into it, after the first few months on the robot. This time though, he watched closely, the ease and fluidity with which Antauri was able to move about was almost hypnotizing, when he bothered to actually look. The second in command’s voice snapped him out of that, though, “Huh?” He was confused but nodded anyway, “Okay, sure.” He said, making his way over, and sitting down next to Antauri, crossing his legs.

Antauri’s face when from peaceful to pleased, and he began to lightly glow with the Power Primate. “Alright, now this is an advanced technique, so I would prefer it if you practiced with me before you attempted it on your own. I want you to summon the Power Primate, and allow our auras to connect. You will feel a pulling sensation towards me, and I want you to relax and allow yourself to be drawn in my direction. Think of it as something of spiritual “trust fall” exercise.”

“Okay. Sure.” The idea sounded strange to Chiro, both because he’d never heard of it before, and because it sounded like something Antauri would’ve taught him before now. Trust was a huge part of being a team, right? He realized, however, as he followed Antauri’s instructions, that not only was it way harder than it sounded, it left him feeling really... vulnerable. He didn’t know how else to describe it, but pushing his essence outside of his own body felt similar to as if he had just stepped outside without clothes, into a storm. Antauri wasn’t kidding either, about the drawing sensation, but it wasn’t something he hesitated at. It had to feel better, right? With that thought, he allowed his aura to surge forward the rest of the way, flowing into Antauri’s.

When Chiro next opened his eyes, he would find himself in a dark and empty void, and would have a chance to marvel at its bleakness before a voice alerted him that he was not alone. “Hello, Chiro…” Antauri floated into view, still in his meditation pose. “Welcome to my dreamscape.”

Chiro was struck first by how, even though everything was black and dark, it didn’t _feel_ empty. It was closer to the feeling of being comfortable in his bed at night, when everything was pitch black. Except for Antauri being there, and that he could see him clearly. “Whoa… weird.” He said, as he looked around him, “Uh… is it supposed to be blank?”

Antauri chuckled. “At first, it is always blank. But behold…” He raised one hand, and stones manifested from the nothingness around them, forming smooth surfaces on which to sit, and then more stones appeared beneath them, descending into the void below. “A dreamscape is the place where your conscious and subconscious minds meet in harmony. What your conscious mind can conjure, your subconscious mind can bring into being.” He demonstrated by bringing several random objects into being, such as a rubber duck, a carrot, a wooden rocking chair, and finally a black rose that he handed to Chiro. It would feel eerily real to him, but would fade into nothingness when he relaxed his grip on it. “It can be used for private communication, or mulling over difficult problems that trouble you, or even simply as a ‘happy place’.” He cracked open one eye and winked at Chiro. “Would you like to give it a try? It will be difficult because you are in my dream, but I believe you can conjure anything you wish if you focus hard enough.”

It was certainly strange, Chiro would have to say, especially how the rose seemed to vanish the moment he turned his attention elsewhere, but it was also really cool! “Just… whatever then?” He asked, before closing his eyes and trying to concentrate. Suddenly, a four legged reptile of some sort appeared next to Antauri, the second in command realizing quickly that it was a small sauropod. Chiro laughed a bit as he opened his eyes and saw it had indeed, come to be. “Whoa. Didn’t think that would actually work.” It wasn’t moving though, just standing there, like a model. Maybe that was an advanced technique or something.

Antauri unfolded his legs and inspected the sauropod by leaning over it and inspecting it from several angles before he nodded in approval. “Very good, Chiro! You not only manifested something in my own dreamscape, but you got the details down very well.” He stepped away from the image of a sauropod and walked off the rock, not altering his path despite being supported by nothing. “Now, there are dangers to this ability as well. Once you perfect your mastery over your dreamscape, it can be tempting to retreat here whenever the world begins to trouble you. This is one of the reasons I waited until now to teach you, lest you succumb. And while time passes at an accelerated rate, our bodies are vulnerable for a few moments in the external world. But should you find yourself battling someone in a similar plane such as this, the techniques you learn here will be invaluable.” He paused and then gave Chiro a sly look. “...Not to mention, fun.” He snapped his metallic fingers and Chiro found himself being bounced gently on a bubble.

Chiro followed, attention completely Antauri’s as he walked along. After all, this wasn’t something he got to experience every day after all. He wasn’t expecting the bubble, of course, and yelped slightly, stumbling before he found himself bouncing on the bubble, “Wh-hoa! Whoa!” It was disorienting, the bubble adjusting position so that he never fell off, instead always bouncing on it. He started to laugh at the absurd situation, “Antauri! Help!” He exclaimed, his attempt to sound serious failing completely.

Antauri responded by making more bubbles appear around the human, though these proceeded to pop and gently lower him back down to a new rock platform that rose underneath him. “As you can see, the potential is limitless, though one must take care not to let one’s thoughts overwhelm them. That is why I was careful to calm myself before we began. But I need not simply alter the environment…” With that, he vanished for a few moments, before the stone beneath Chiro shifted and altered into a metallic surface. Then it began to move, until Chiro realized he was sitting in Antauri’s hand as the monkey gazed down at him benevolently.

“Whoa.” He whispered as he regained his balance, the movement from being lifted having disoriented him slightly. “So uh… if your thoughts aren’t clear, bad stuff happens I guess?” Chiro was tempted to ask more, but he realized that doing that might make Antauri think of that stuff too much… and he didn’t want to see first hand what the consequences could be.

“Do not worry, Chiro, I have practiced for many years to keep intrusive thoughts from entering this place where they could potentially harm me. But I’m glad you grasp the full danger of this ability. On the other hand, allowing your negative thoughts to manifest in this way allows you to combat them in ways you cannot in your physical form. I have full confidence that you will decide for yourself what is the best way to use this ability in your own mind.” Antauri had folded his legs in a meditation position to mirror his real world self, but he still held Chiro in front of him to regard him fondly. “But remember what I said about sometimes wishing that I could experience life as an organic…?” He began to shrink down, safely depositing Chiro on a floating platform as his form changed and he stepped on to the rock with Chiro, his robotic parts replaced with fully organic limbs and his eyes unobscured by his formerly permanent lenses.

“I have not forgotten to appreciate my cyborg form, but this is a rare opportunity for me to indulge in some of my more abstract desires.” He extended his non-metallic hand towards Chiro in an offer to let him hold it.

“Oh, uh… wow.” Chiro wasn’t used to seeing Antauri… or any of them, without the lenses, having only seen it a handful of times, and always in dire circumstances where one of them had been injured. Even then, this was clearly different. It had creeped him out every time prior to this... but without all of the work that had been done on them, they looked far more healthy, and lively. And even weirder was the hand that was offered to him, which felt very real when Chiro slowly grabbed it. “Whoa… this is weird.” He said, inspecting the hand like it was some strange artifact, before looking back at Antauri with a smile. “It feels nice though.” He paused, panicking slightly, “Uh, not to say your norma- I mean, your usual hand, doesn’t feel nice either!”

Antauri seemed far from offended, and instead idly rubbed his own hand as he inspected it front and back. “I understand what you mean, Chiro. This is an unusual experience for me as well. Truly, I cannot say for certain if this is truly how it would feel if I was entirely organic, or if this is merely how I imagine it would feel.” He glanced away, and then down at Chiro’s feet, looking almost shy. “...May I hug you, please?”

Without needing another word, Chiro immediately knelt down and hugged him. “This still feels pretty much the same to me… which means really nice.” He said, letting himself nuzzle his chin against Antauri’s hair, “Although this part is nice. Couldn’t do that before.” He chuckles, feeling embarrassed but also extremely joyful.

For his part, the monkey seemed to really enjoy nuzzling Chiro’s chest now that he did not have goggles or a helmet to get in the way. He relaxed as he had not had the luxury to do in a long, long time, and he let out a deep sigh as he embraced his leader and boyfriend. “This is indeed nice, Chiro. Thank you so much for trusting me, and giving me the opportunity to live out a dream such as this.” To be honest, he wanted to cuddle and nuzzle Chiro all over, but he didn’t want to overwhelm Chiro, or touch him for longer than the human was comfortable. Unfortunately, that was when Chiro began to feel other hands touching him, as he would look around to see that other organic Antauris had surrounded him and were also embracing and nuzzling him. “...Oh dear…” Antauri looked around, chagrined. “I think I may have overestimated my self-control. As they are not negative thoughts, I did not guard against them. Perhaps it would be best if we returned to the outer world.” One of the Antauris made a very simian-like squeak of joy as it nuzzled Chiro’s leg.

“Uh… yeah, this is kind of freaking me out.” He said, the other Antauri’s seeming very childlike in their behavior. Not to mention that they as a team, had already had bad encounters with cloning in the past. Before Chiro could even process it, he was suddenly back in the park, sitting with Antauri again. “Whoa.” He said, looking around, half expecting hours to have passed or something. But it still appeared to be roughly the same time.

Antauri took a deep breath and came back to himself, opening his eyes and looking up at Chiro.  
“I can teach you how to use that technique when you feel you are ready, Chiro.” He gracefully unfolded his legs and hopped down off of his stone and stretched. “Would you like to continue our walk?”

“I think I’ll wait a while before I try it. It might be a bit much for me right now.” He said, not sure that he could calm himself enough. Especially not with puberty going on alongside everything else. “Yeah, it’s weird that I feel stiff, even though my mind is telling me I was just standing up and stuff.”

“That’s to be expected, it’s best to indulge your body’s wishes in this manner.” He strolled ahead, and looked at Chiro over his shoulder with a coy smile. “We can do some stretching if you wish.”

The smile made him pause, Chiro unsure if that meant what the dirty part of his mind said it was. Before… well before he wouldn’t have even noticed it, but if he had, he would’ve immediately dismissed it. Now he was wondering if this had been happening for a while. How long had the team been flirting with him without him noticing? “Y-Yeah, I mean, I’ll let you know if I’m still stiff; but I think I should walk a bit first.” He was hoping he wasn't blushing.

The black-furred monkey did notice Chiro’s blush, but was too wise to call attention to it. He also avoided swaying his hips too much as he walked in front of the human. Such things could wait. For now, he was content to just enjoy the peace with his beloved, and admire the place they both fought to protect.

Chiro was glad for the silence as well, not sure how he would’ve reacted if Antauri had pushed the idea further. Plus, it was a really nice day out. He could hear the birds and everything, which wasn’t something he got to do all that often these days, seeing as the middle of the city was where the robot was usually stationed.

“So…” He said after several minutes of them walking in peace, “I’m uh… I’ve been enjoying these dates. All of them.” The teen laughed to try and sound natural, but only succeeded in sounding nervous. “I think I’m… gonna end up being all of your boyfriends? Or is it boyfriend? Gibson probably knows.” He muttered the last part, before sighing, “I’m just not sure I guess. Nervous?”

Antauri was ahead of Chiro, which meant that the young hero could not see his face, and he took advantage of that to compose himself before he turned around, smiling. “I must admit, everything about this is new to me. New to us all, in fact. As our leader we look to you to show us the way down this unknown path. But as our boyfriend, we only wish for your happiness. If for any reason you wish to change your decision or wish for emotional space, we will respect your desires.” He paused and fidgeted for a moment, his tail lashing behind his back. “...To answer your question, however, I am nervous. We face great danger on a regular basis, but we rarely face potential emotional danger. I am afraid of doing or saying something that will hurt you, or any of my brothers. I am fearful that I will lose this…” He gestured to the space between himself and Chiro. “The source of the greatest happiness in my life. But though I am nervous, I can assure you I am not afraid of going forward. I wish to walk this path with you, and the others. I love you, Chiro. And I cannot tell you the joy that swells in my heart when you say you enjoy my company as well.”

This was both exactly what Chiro wanted to hear, and what he had been dreading. The idea of the entire team depending on him in this manner, in addition to being the leader? It was terrifying. What if he screwed up? He was old enough, and wise enough now, to no longer be the cocky kid he was when he joined; but that also meant he was now far too aware of the many ways he could mess up. But, at the same time, seeing that look on Antauri’s face, when he talked about how much he cared about him, made something in his chest warm up that he rarely felt. “I…” He took a deep breath and sighed, “thank you. I’m just, new to this I guess.” Fidgeting for something to distract himself with, he pulled out his communicator, to check the time. “Huh, we’ve already been out for four hours. Didn’t realize.”

“Would you like to head back to the Super Robot?” Antauri offered, holding up his hand. He had already done what he had hoped to do with Chiro during their date, and everything after that was a bonus. That having been said, he certainly wouldn’t mind just walking or sitting with him a while longer, and enjoying the peace together.

Chiro took the offered hand, as he placed his communicator back in his pocked with the other. “Yeah. But… let’s take the scenic route back. It’s too nice a day to waste.” He said, smiling down at his second in command.

 


End file.
